Blade of the Wanderer
by Eryis
Summary: Laxus' life was fine. Not comfortable, not as good as it could be. Then a stranger entered the walled town of Magnolia, a stranger named Freed Justine, and everything changed. [Fraxus Multi-Chapter T for Violence]
1. Chapter 1 - Clashing Blades

**Chapter One – Clashing Blades**

**_Year: 1539x. Luna-cycle: 8. Day: 11. _**

Fairy Tail was not a welcoming place. Not anymore.

Being a small village at the south west of Fiore, hidden in the shadow of the Hakobe mountain range, it was completely secluded. It was entirely self-sufficient. With no communication occurring with other settlements, it relied on its own farms and mines to gather the necessary resources for its inhabitants. It was entirely cut off from all of society; nobody could come in and, more importantly, nobody could get out.

Bordering the town stood stone walls. They were higher than any building they contained, at least a yard thick, and constantly covered with guards. The only break in the walls was for the steel portcullis, which only opened for the farmers and miners, so they could complete their trade. For anyone else, the village was everything.

This was felt by everyone who inhabited Fairy Tail. But nobody felt the seclusion of their home more than Laxus Dreyar.

The twenty-one-year-old was set to inherit the village, to rule it after his father's death. As a child, his father kept him contained in the large house they owned. Ivan claimed that, if he were to rule over the town, he should have no relationships with the people; it would make him weak. The only people he was permitted to know was his family, the house staff, his tutor, and the other members of his combat training class. Even with this strict control over Laxus' life, Ivan had made his anger known when his son had befriended two members of the combat class; Bickslow and Evergreen. His friends didn't return after that, and he was only permitted to talk to them through a monthly letter.

As he grew, things changed slightly. Instead of being confined to his home completely, Laxus was permitted to walk around the town with relative freedom. Ivan said it was a gift, he claimed that Laxus was thirteen years old, starting to become a man and was close to becoming a satisfactory heir. Looking back, Laxus realised his father just wanted to make sure people knew the man who would one day rule over them. To give him a presence for them to respect and fear.

Initially, he had used the fear his family had over the town to his advantage; it made Ivan happy and he got what he wanted without question. This attitude continued until he received his monthly letter from Bickslow and Evergreen with a clear message: change, or they stopped contact.

Another change that came with age was the survival training. Once every three months, he would be taken out of the village and into the forest at the foot of Hakobe. He'd be given a small set of supplies and was told to survive on his own for the week. The first time, he had been told it was a great honour to be allowed to leave the walls, and that he should be thankful for the experience. It took him longer than he was proud of to realise it wasn't an honour, nor was it a gift. It was another way Ivan tried to mould Laxus in his image.

Laxus, just like Fairy Tail, was secluded. At a standstill. Alone.

Until he wasn't. Until Freed Justine.

For all it's faults, and there were many, at least Fairy Tail was quiet. Other than during combat training, the only sound of the town would be the soft talking of the town square that only came alive on market days. Laxus had grown accustomed to it so, when there was a disruption, the blonde noticed it immediately.

He was in the courtyard of his house when it happened, training against a sand-filled dummy. The movements of his sword were well calculated and sharp, aiming at the pressure points that he had grown used to hitting. He was one of the strongest fighters in the town, taught by both his father and a well-respected fighter named Gildarts, but he could often be found training alone to further enhance his skills. There was always room to grow, to get stronger.

After plunging the tip of his blade into the sandbag, deep enough to make an incision that would leave an opponent bleeding, he heard yelling. His movements stopped an he ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair, frowning.

This never happened.

Quickly placing his sword into the scabbard, he started to walk through his large house and towards the town square, where the shouting and struggling was coming from. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face and bare torso dry, placing the sword on its holder as he left the building. As he approached, he saw a crowd had formed.

The people moved around him, giving him a near unhindered view of what was happening. It took him a few moments to see through the small huddle of village guards and understand why they were acting so aggressively. When he did eventually see what was happening, his frown intensified.

This really never happened.

Forced onto his knees, in the middle of the guards, was a man. A man not from Fairy Tail. He had long green hair, a style of clothes that Laxus was unfamiliar with, and a dark looking glare on his face. He was struggling against the men holding him down and, given that four of the town's guards were fighting to keep him in place, he was obviously strong. He was also obviously intending to get out from his entrapment.

Taking a second to look around again, Laxus could make some assumptions to why the stranger had been captured. One of the guards, who was not holding the stranger down, had a deep red patch coming from under his sleeve where he was obviously bleeding. Another guard was holding a sword that Laxus didn't recognise. It was made out of a different metal, the hilt was entirely a different design, and the blade was tinted with blood. It was pretty obvious that, somehow, the stranger had attacked the guard and had been dragged into the town because of it.

"Quiet!" One of the guards yelled.

Before giving the stranger the chance to either follow or deny the demand, the guard took the hilt of his sword and slammed it against the stranger's jaw, electing a harsh cracking sound. Many of the onlookers gasped at the act.

The stranger, however, had a different reaction. Although he still continued to struggle, he made sure to look at the guard who had hit him directly in the eye, and a grin split across his features; a grin Laxus could only be described as demonic. This was enhanced by the small trail of blood sliding down from the man's forehead, obviously the violence before they entered the village wasn't as one sided as Laxus had assumed.

"Fuck yourself," The stranger's voice was slightly croaking; had he been hit in the throat?

A loud roar left the guard's lips at the taunt. He lurched forward and grabbed the stranger's hair in his right hand. Without taking a moment, he slammed the stranger's head down into the stone ground. Again, the act of violence caused a small amount of shock throughout the crowd. Not that it stopped the guards.

After the stranger didn't show enough pain to please the guard, he released the stranger's hair and kicked him in the stomach. Laxus didn't make a move to stop him, why would he? The stranger would have brought this upon himself.

"Silence."

Ivan. Shit.

Laxus looked over his shoulder at the sound of his father's voice. The crowd seemed to freeze, all looking towards him as the town's leader approached the crowd. People split apart in the same way they did for Laxus, though obviously gave Ivan more space to move than they did Laxus. The only people who didn't move for him was the guards who were still struggling to keep the stranger down, and Laxus himself.

Ivan wore a sneer on his face, each footstep electing a sharp click against the stone ground. The closer he got to the kneeling stranger, the more he seemed to tower over the man. Even still, the stranger kept direct eye contact with him. He even maintained the small smirk.

Nobody ever looked at Ivan like that, not even Laxus. Nobody dared.

Instead of speaking to the stranger, Ivan looked towards the guard who had attacked him. Laxus looked towards the guard for the first time, having previously been too entranced at the sight of a man who he had yet to see; even blooded and bruised, a new face was a thing of wonder. The guard immediately stood to attention, acting more like a soldier than a protector of a small town. Laxus wondered if the guards would ever treat him like that when he was in charge. He wondered if he wanted that.

"What is this?" Ivan demanded, motioning towards the stranger.

"A trespasser, sir," The guard said, voice harsh and well trained. "He was found at the furthest end of Hakobe forest. After he became violent during capture, six of us were forced to move from out posts to assure he was correctly captured and taken here, sir."

Ivan was silent for a moment, something that made the tension practically palpable. Everyone living in Fairy Tail knew that Ivan Dreyar could be vicious. When he was silent and obviously deep in thought, it was safe to assume that he was concentrating his viciousness into a particularly cruel act. When he seemed to focus back on reality, he turned slowly to the guard whose uniform was stained with blood. The crowd tensed further.

His movements were slow, calculated in a way to further induce fear in the guard. It was obviously working. When Ivan reached into his coat and pulled out a small thatch bag, Laxus took a small intake of breath. He knew what was going to happen – it had happened to him multiple times – and it wasn't going to be nice.

"The little mongrel hurt you, I assume?" Ivan's voice was calm. It was nauseating.

"Yes sir," The guard managed to spit out, standing to attention though clearly scared. He watched with wide eyes as Ivan slowly opened the small bag; the kid didn't know what was about to happen.

"So, not only are you not capable of doing your only job," Ivan chuckled darkly. "Your inadequacy has also caused six of my men to leave their post. Therefore leaving us vulnerable. That's your fault, don't you think?"

"Y-yes sir," The guard's stutter made Ivan laugh a little. He looked towards another guard.

"Show me his wound. Keep it open," He demanded.

The other guard did as instructed. He pulled the blood-soaked sleeve up to the other man's shoulder, revealing a particularly nasty looking slash on his bicep. The wound was then split apart, allowing blood to flow from it freely. The injured guard watched with wide, scared eyes as Ivan reached into the small bag and revealed its content. He slowly lifted it, so it was visible to both the guard and the crowd watching it. The fine white powder slowly trickled out and back into the bag, and the guard immediately started breathing heavily with fear.

Salt. It was salt.

"Well, if you agree with me that this is your fault, and that you literally have no fucking use to me, then you'll also agree that you deserve this."

Taking a large pinch of salt, he brought his hands over the open wound. The guard tried to struggle but was restrained. Other than Laxus, Ivan and the guard himself, everyone in the crowd looked away as the salt slowly started to fall into the open flesh. The only thing stopping Laxus from looking away was knowing Ivan might see, and the ramifications of that happening. Not looking away became harder the second the firsts grain landed, as it was then that the injured guard began to shout in pain.

Laxus was taken back to his training with Ivan. Every time he made a mistake that caused him to bleed, this is what his father would do to him. He could still feel the burning sensation, the pure pain he had felt and the yelling that it had caused. It was hell; but he did nothing to help the guard before him. It became too much. He had to look away, and when he did, he had to pause.

The stranger was watching.

Looking at the stranger's face, Laxus couldn't be sure what he was thinking. His expression was impassive and almost analytical, as if he was trying to understand what was happening rather than being disgusted by it. All Laxus did know was that the stranger was the only person other than Ivan who could bare to watch.

Ivan's hands were tightly grasped around the guard's arm, adding a cruel pressure to the salt covered wound. The town leader had an almost pleasant grin on his face as the guard yelled, screamed and struggled. Ivan didn't allow him to move, smirk intensifying.

"Are you finished?" Ivan asked after a moment, voice sadistic.

"Please. Please stop," The guard started to beg.

"I asked you a question," Ivan chuckled. He lifted his free hand, grabbing the guard's jaw in an obviously tight grasp. He forced the guard to stare directly at him, whose screams were left replaced by a harsh, scared silence. Ivan's grin intensified, as his voice raised to a loud yelling. "Are you finished!"

The guard started to breath heavily, and all he could manage to do was nod. Laxus looked back to him and saw that he was biting his lower lip to stop himself from screaming. Laxus had done that, screaming had only made his father more aggressive.

"Well if you're done, why are you here?" Ivan's voice was the eerie quiet tone again. "Work. Now!"

Ivan released the guard's arm, who stumbled back a little. He grasped his arm, wide eyes as he saw the whole crowd were looking at him. He looked around, before his eyes settled on Ivan again. The town leader had placed the bag of salt back into his pocket and had replaced it with a small, corrugated dagger. He placed the tip on his middle finger and started to spin it, maintaining eye contact with the injured guard.

"All of you will return to your posts within the minute," Ivan chuckled darkly. "And if you don't, you will no longer be guards and, until you find new work, you will spend the time you should be working in the stocks."

It was enough of a threat to get the guards moving. They all knew of the stocks. They all wanted to avoid them.

Laxus spared a glance towards the guards as they ran towards the gate, before looking back to the stranger. Despite no longer being held down, he remained on his knees and looked towards Ivan with the same emotionless expression. Without men holding him down, Laxus could look at him without obstruction.

The blood was dripping down his face still, and Laxus could see a bruise starting to form. His hair was a slight mess now, probably from when the guard had grabbed it. His clothes were relatively well kept, rather than being ragged like Laxus expected. He actually almost looked noble.

It was then that the stranger looked towards him.

They shared a glance for only a second, but something about it unsettled Laxus completely. Laxus knew everyone in the town, or at least recognised them. Meeting someone new was usually only restricted to when a child was born, so having an adult man look into his eyes and not knowing who they were – not knowing anything about them – was unsettling. But, Laxus couldn't find it in himself to look away.

He suspected the stranger was looking at him with the same examining expression that he'd worn when watching Ivan's torment of the guard. The blonde had never felt vulnerable because of another person that wasn't Ivan, but the stranger seemed to be looking right through him. The blonde shuffled a little where he stood, but still couldn't look away.

Until Ivan forced him to.

The town's leader loomed over the stranger, grin still plastered onto his face. The stranger lingered his gaze on Laxus, before looking up towards Ivan. Still, his face was impassive. Laxus knew that it would antagonise Ivan; his father loved being intimidating and the reactions that garnered.

"So, mongrel, why the fuck are you in my land?"

The stranger didn't reply. He didn't even blink.

"You've gone deaf, have you? Because I heard your little barking at my guards," Ivan chuckled. "But you go silent around me. Funny."

The stranger still remained silent. Only Laxus noted the flare of annoyance on Ivan's face.

"But when I say speak, mongrel," The town leader glared, crossing his arms and making his biceps bulge under his sleeves. "I expect you to speak."

Ivan's actions were swift, and he slammed his foot into the stranger's stomach in a cruel kick. Again, many members of the crowd gasped or looked away, but Laxus watched as the stranger grunted and doubled over a little. Ivan's smirk turned more sadistic at the reaction, obviously he felt like the embarrassment of the stranger's silence had been made up for with the violence. The smirk fell and twisted into a cowl when, not a moment later, the stranger returned to his previous position of kneeling and looking up towards Ivan.

With an audible exhale of breath that showed his annoyance, Ivan stormed behind the stranger with his dagger in hand. He slid the blade under the man's chin and started to pull it up, digging it into the man's jaw and forcing him to lift his head. Still, the stranger remained silent and looked towards where Ivan had been standing.

"Answer my question, or I'll slit your fucking throat," Ivan whispered, venom in his tone.

"Could you?" The stranger's voice was deadly calm. It rivalled Ivan's tone. "Because I don't think you could. I think you're too much of a coward not to hide behind your guards."

Laxus' pupils dilated a little. Nobody had questioned Ivan in this way, nobody had the guts. The entire town had been brought up on the knowledge that Ivan was ruthless and was not to be questioned. To see someone mocking his authority and doing so while a knife was resting against his throat, was something alien to Laxus. He looked to his father's face, worried with how he was going to react.

Ivan's hand clutched around the dagger and he pulled it a little closer against the stranger's throat. Laxus knew his father was taking it personally, and that he would see this as the stranger trying to humiliate him. He also saw that Ivan was, for once, at a loss for words.

"You're either brave or stupid," Ivan eventually spat out. "Assuming it's the former, I'll reward that."

The stranger was silent again. Laxus saw Ivan's eyebrow twitch a little.

"If you're as brave as you think you are, you'll get a chance to leave," Ivan slid the dagger against the stranger's neck again, just shy of cutting it open. Laxus winced a little. "You'll fight one of my men. If you win, you leave. If you lose, I'll flog you, humiliate you, then I'll slit your throat. How's that sound, mutt?"

"I'd rather fight you," The stranger spoke again, still with no emotion in his tone. "But as you're insistent on proving my point about your cowardice, I agree to those terms."

Laxus watched as Ivan's teeth grinded a little, and the blonde still was slightly shocked by the stranger's treatment of his father. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Laxus was almost in awe at the stranger; even the stronger members of the village like Gildarts and Laxus himself knew to be cautious around the man and his temperamentality. Only Makarov had been courageous enough to actually stand up to his son, and even he hadn't been so blunt with challenging his authority and mocking him while doing so.

Once he had gone, that's when Ivan really let loose his rule on the town.

"Listen to me you cocky little fucker," Ivan growled, jaw obviously clenched and Laxus could see rage in his eyes. How the stranger managed to remain calm, Laxus wasn't sure. "If you think you're some kind of tough shit, you'll be treated like it and fight my own damn flesh and blood."

Laxus blanched, and many of the crowd looked towards him.

"So you'll put your family in the path of a blade, but not yourself?" The stranger commented, still looking at Ivan. "Interesting."

Ivan's chest was now heaving a little, and Laxus wasn't sure if how long his father's self-control would last before he actually slashed the man's throat. Instead, however, Ivan removed the knife from its position and slid it into the small scabbard in his belt. He placed his foot on the stranger's back and pushed him down. The crowd was silent as the stranger's head was forced onto the ground again, and Ivan kept it there for a few moments, before removing his foot.

He stalked forward, walking directly towards Laxus. The blonde stood to attention in the same way the guards had; just because Ivan was his father, it didn't mean he expected any less respect. Ivan stopped so he was chest to chest with his son, and his expression showed the same level of anger that it had when dealing with the stranger.

"Do not fuck this up for me," Ivan spat.

Laxus stood still as Ivan walked past him, purposefully bumping into the blonde's shoulder before walking through the crowds and towards their house again. Every member of the town seemed to be looking at Laxus, but the blonde didn't pay attention to them. A small amount of nausea formed in the pit of his stomach as he realised what was going to happen.

He looked towards the stranger. The stranger looked back.

Looking into his eyes, Laxus couldn't shake the feeling this man was going to change his world completely.

* * *

There were few situations where Laxus felt overwhelmed. They all involved his father.

So when the blonde found himself presented with a situation that overwhelmed him that didn't involve his father – unless being the instigator counted as him being involved – Laxus didn't no how to react. Thankfully, in this specific situation where he found himself overwhelmed, the freedom to make his own decisions had been taken away from him.

Almost all the town had packed into the large, indoor fighting area of the townhall under Ivan's instructions. An hour had passed since the stranger had come to town, enough time for Laxus to adorn his black kamishimo and he told of the importance of his victory. Ivan hadn't made it clear what would happen if he were to lose the fight, but he had made it perfectly clear that if Laxus wasn't the victor then his punishment would not be something enjoyable.

"Fighters," A loud voice shouted from the battleground. One of Ivan's favoured guards, Laxus didn't know his name. "Enter the mat."

Laxus, on his cue, walked towards the circular, wooden stage elevated from the ground. His bare feet were cold against the wood, and he grasped the scabbard covered sword tightly in his hands as he looked around. The entirety of the town were there, even the miners. Ivan obviously wanted the stranger to be humiliated in front of as many people as possible. Laxus just hoped he could cause the required humiliation to appease his father; he knew he was a good fighter, but he knew nothing of this man, including his fighting ability.

He looked to the stranger as he climbed onto the stage. He was clean of his blood, wearing a white kamishimo, and had been given a sword different to the one the guard had taken from him. Laxus expected both the weapon and clothing had been provided by whoever had cleaned him up; he wondered if the sword had been sharpened enough to make the fight fair.

"You will fight until either side gives up or is pinned to the mat for twenty seconds," The guard continued. "If that does not happen under a five-minute period, the fight will end, and both sides will be inspected. The party with fewer clear wounds will be classed as the victor."

Typical fighting rules then. That was good. At least Laxus was familiar with that.

As the guard inspected the wooden platform they were to fight for, a requirement for all large fights that Laxus had been involved in, the blonde looked around again. His father was sitting at the head of the room, lounging in a large seat in a way that made him look like a king; Laxus knew this was intentional. The second he looked towards his father, Laxus found himself trapped in Ivan's harsh expression. The meaning of it was obvious, a reminder of what he had said before.

_'Do not fuck this up for me.'_

It was only when his father looked away that Laxus felt he could do the same. When he did, he saw that the inspection had been complete. He looked towards his opponent, who seemed insistent to keep up his stoic façade. Laxus hoped he was doing the same, because the swell of nervousness would not please his father if he could see it.

"Both fighters will meet in the middle," The guard spoke again. "You will shake hands, then retreat to the edge of the mat. After my instruction, the fight will begin. Understood?"

Laxus nodded sharply, as did the stranger. Once the guard stepped back, both men walked slowly towards the small circle at the centre of the platform. The stranger raised his hand first, removing it from the scabbard-covered sword and held it aloft. Laxus took it and grabbed it, flexing his muscle as he squeezed in a way to intimidate his opponent from the start. The stranger did the same, and Laxus realised that his earlier conclusion that the stranger had strength to him was correct. That wasn't a good thing.

"Freed," The stranger said, his voice a little different than before. Less antagonistic, perhaps.

"Excuse me?" Laxus muttered, frowning.

"It's my name: Freed Justine," The stranger – Freed, apparently – explained as he removed his hand from Laxus'. "I believe, in formal combat, you should at least know the name of the man you're fighting against."

"Suppose so," Laxus grunted, trying to remain intimidating. "Name's Laxus. Laxus Dreyar."

"A pleasure," Freed smiled. Laxus couldn't identify the motive of the smile.

"Both parties will return to their respective sides," The guard yelled again.

As instructed, both Laxus and Freed walked to the edges of the platform. Laxus slowly removed his sword from the scabbard, eyes hardening. Sure, the stranger had impressed Laxus with the bold treatment of his father, and Laxus found himself slightly unnerved by the man whenever their eyes met, but none of that mattered. This man was his opponent, and Laxus couldn't let anything stop him from fighting to the best of his abilities.

He watched as Freed also removed his sword from the scabbard that had been provided to him. He brandished it, and Laxus saw that it was indeed a well sharpened weapon from the town, rather than Freed's own blade. So they were on an even standing in that respect at least, and Laxus knew that he was a good fighter. He could win this.

He would win this.

"The fight will begin on my command," The guard yelled to crowd, who silenced at it. "When a participant needs to give up, they will tap on the mat three times."

Laxus' grasp on the sword tightened a little, and he readied himself. He was never nervous before a fight, but he normally knew what to expect. He'd engaged in combat with everyone in the town that fought and knew how they worked. But with the stranger, he had no idea. Would his actions be fast, would he stay still and fight on a defensive measure? Laxus had no idea, something unfamiliar to him. But that was fine, he would just have to adapt. He was a good fighter and trained by the best of his village, he could deal with that.

"Begin."

Neither man made a move immediately. Laxus had braced himself for a lunge, wanting to avoid it rather that going for the first strike and running right into the stranger's sword. It seemed Freed had the same plan, as he was watching Laxus with the same amount of intensity.

The crowd was silent. The room tense. Everyone waited for one to make the first move.

Laxus acted first. He closed the gap between them both, lowering his sword so that is sliced just above the platform in a forward lunge. Lowering his body into an almost crouching position, Laxus attempted to slice his sword against Freed's lower calf muscle. The blonde knew it would be arrogant to think he could get the guy to tap out, he needed to make sure he cut Freed up enough to win on the amount of injuries caused. Furthermore, creating a substantial dash on his leg may harm Freed's balance, which could be important for his victory.

The blonde glanced down towards his sword to see a small dash of red staining Freed's kamishimo, obviously blood. For a moment, Laxus wondered if the white colouring of Freed's clothes was done purposefully to show both the blood and the injuries more obviously, therefore making Laxus seem like the victor.

Temporarily distracted, Laxus didn't see Freed raise his sword until the last moment. The blonde couldn't react as Freed's sword ran against the side of Laxus' right arm. It cut open both the black cloth of Laxus' clothes and into his bicep; a trivial amount of blood trickled from the wound, and Laxus hissed at the stinging sensation. He shouldn't have let himself get distracted like that, the cut was completely avoidable.

Laxus' eyes followed the fluid movements of Freed's sword, before flickering his opponents face. He was looking towards Laxus' inner left thigh, and his sword was going that way as well. Laxus pivoted on his right foot to move out of the way.

But Freed anticipated that. Or maybe that was his plan.

The blonde watched as Freed's wrist turned so that his blade was pointed towards the platform. He jutted his wrist up, slamming the hilt of his sword into Laxus' chin with a large amount of force. The blonde staggered back a little, grabbing his chin with his free hand and rubbing it. There had been enough force in the blow to leave a bruise, but Laxus couldn't understand the point of it. A bruise wouldn't could as a wound, so why bother doing it?

The two men returned to their initial positions, but now were slowly circling each other. They were still even in terms of injuries, unless the stranger's previously gained wounds would be counted. If true, Laxus had a clear advantage. But he couldn't count on that, the humiliation Ivan wanted Freed to go through would be more satisfying if it came from the fight and only the fight.

Laxus watched as Freed lunged towards him. Again, he pivoted to the side to avoid his opponent's weapon. This time, it worked in his favour. Laxus ran the weapon across Freed's stomach as he passed, before kicking the back of the man's knee to bring him down.

The crowd started to cheer. Good, Laxus could use that. He was meant to be the victor, he had to be.

As Laxus brought his sword down to make another cut, this time on the man's back, Freed quickly turned on his knees. Laxus faltered a little at the fast, obviously pre-planned movement, giving the stranger the chance to raise his own sword with both hands. The blades clashed with a loud, metallic clink, and began to push against each other.

Changing his position to get a better stance, Laxus began to push down against Freed's own sword. The stranger was putting up a good fight, but as Laxus placed his left-hand half way up the blade, he knew Freed would break before he did.

But Freed knew that too. He anticipated it.

Just as Laxus started to push Freed's sword in a way that would allow him to complete the cut against his chest, Freed's eyes flittered around the entirety of Laxus' body. He was obviously planning his next move, meaning Laxus would have to move fast before his opponent could come up with a way to counter him. Digging his feet into the platform and flexing his arms, he pushed down harder, jaw clenching.

Looking directly at his opponent's face, Laxus felt overwhelmed again. Even now, Freed's face was impassive and showed no expression. He should be intimidated; he was surrounded by people who wanted him to lose while fighting for his life. How the hell was he not panicking? Was he that cocky?

Laxus could do nothing but continue to push forward, though his stomach lurched as Freed's expression gained a smirk. Suddenly, the force of Freed's sword pushing against his own was gone and Freed shifted. Laxus couldn't stop himself from lurching forward with the force, and Freed used this to move out of the way.

The blonde let out a loud grunt when something forcefully rammed into his stomach. He looked down to see that it was Freed's elbow. He stood still, winded by the hit to his stomach, giving Freed a chance to continue his attack.

Lurching forward again, Freed slammed his shoulder into Laxus' chest and pushed forward. One of his legs had curled around Laxus' foot, taking away his balance and allowing Freed to slam him against the hard platform with a loud bang. Laxus winced in pain as Freed climbed over him and placed the sword against his throat, leaving the lingering threat of cutting his throat if Laxus tried to move or push off him.

Shit.

To his right, Laxus could hear the guard starting to count down from twenty. The crowd was silent now, and even without looking Laxus knew that his father would be enraged that he had gotten into this situation. Freed's fighting style was so foreign to Laxus, he wasn't as strict as Laxus was used to. But still, everything seemed planned.

But all he needed to do was get out of this. He couldn't push Freed off, the sword against his throat stopped that. He needed to be smarter than what his training wanted him to do; Freed was going against his training. He wasn't easy or predictable.

As the countdown reached nine, Laxus had formed a plan. He raised his right hand, which was holding the sword, so his weapon was off the ground, and slowly started to rotate it. He kept direct eye contact with Freed, hoping that he had as much trouble looking away as Laxus himself did. When the sword was in the position Laxus wanted, he quickly slammed the hilt of it into the side of Freed's head in a vicious attack.

Taking the moment of shock he'd created, Laxus pushed Freed off of him and got to his feet again; the guard stopped his countdown the second he did. He didn't give Freed a moment to collect himself before slamming his foot into the mans stomach, before stepping back to catch his breath. Breathing heavily, he watched as Freed slowly stood up.

"I'll be honest," Freed chuckled, voice a little hoarse. "I didn't know you had that in you."

"Have what in me?" Laxus grunted, knowing he shouldn't speak but doing it anyway.

"A rebellious streak," Freed grinned, running a hand through his long hair so that it was out of his eyes. Laxus could see the injuries on his forehead from before. "I assumed you just lived in daddy's pocket."

Laxus' jaw clenched; the power his father had over him was a point of contention for Laxus and having someone who knew nothing of him mock that was enraging. He raised his weapon again, rushing towards his opponent and swiping his sword low, aiming to cut just below the knee to bring him to the floor. At this point, he didn't want to win just because he had caused more wounds than Freed had, he wanted to win by forcing the man to tap out. He wanted the man to give up and feel shame for doing so.

He tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him how similar he sounded to his father.

Not stopping himself, Laxus watched as his sword cut through the air and towards Freed's legs. Freed crouched slightly, lowering his own sword so it blocked that path of Laxus'. Another loud sound of metal clashing filled the room, and Laxus hissed in annoyance as his plan was so easily stopped. His teeth grinded against each other as he started to retract his sword so that he could return to the other side of the wooden platform.

Before he could do this, though, Freed lurched forward. Again, he slammed his shoulder into Laxus' chest to wind him slightly. However, instead of retreating, he grabbed the wrist that Laxus was using to hold the sword and began to squeeze it hard. He also slammed his elbow into Laxus' arm, loosening his grip enough for Freed to wrestle the weapon from his hand.

Laxus watched as the sword was tossed to the side, sliding off the platform and causing some of the crowd to shift away so that it didn't hit them. Laxus' pupils dilated a little, this wasn't good. He now longer had his weapon.

Freed retreated to his side of the platform again, and Laxus watched as Freed almost ceremoniously tossed his own sword to the side and off the platform. Laxus frowned, not understanding why Freed had removed such an obvious advantage he had worked for. Looking to Freed as if silently asking for answers, he saw the stranger was simply smirking and lowering himself into a more hand-to-hand combat ready stance. The smirk antagonised Laxus, had Freed removed swords from the fight simply because he wanted to unnerve him?

Bastard. He was using Laxus' lack of information on his fighting style to dominate the fight.

He didn't have time to think about this. Freed lurched forward with his centre of gravity low. He slammed his body into Laxus' and grappled him around the waist. Laxus quickly tried to adapt, doing the same by grabbing the fabric of Freed's kamishimo. Laxus had the physical strength over him, but Freed seemed to have more training in this fighting style than Laxus' basic training from when he was a teenager.

Although Laxus didn't notice it, Freed was slowly straightening out his posture. Doing this changed their position so that Laxus was forced to crouch down, putting him in a position that allowed Freed shift his balance slightly.

With a sudden jut of his arm, Freed pushed hard against Laxus' chest. Only then did Laxus realise that Freed had wrapped his leg around his own in the same way he had earlier, trapping his foot in place so that he couldn't move it to keep himself upright. Soon, Laxus was on the mat with Freed over him again, and all he could hear was the heavy breathing coming from both men and the guard counting down from the side-lines.

This was bad. Really fucking bad.

He couldn't get out of it the same way he had before. This time, Freed's left forearm was pushing hard against his throat and his right arm pinned Laxus' to the wooden platform. His right foot pushed into Laxus' stomach to keep him pinned down further. Only his left foot was on the ground, keeping him steady.

Laxus tried to push himself up, but Freed's position was strong and kept him in place. All he could move was his left hand, but the moment he did Freed's arm left his throat and returned Laxus' arm to its previous position. He was fucked.

"Three," The guard spoke clearly.

No, no. This couldn't happen. He couldn't lose to this stranger. Not when his father had made it clear that this wasn't a fight he was allowed to lose. He needed to get out of this. He really fucking needed to get out of this!

"Two."

He tried to push up again, clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. He could feel Freed's grip on him lessening slightly as he did. But that didn't matter, it wasn't enough to get the guard to stop counting.

"One."

It was hopeless. Laxus gave in, deflated against the cold wooden floor as he opened his eyes. He looked to the side, seeing that Ivan had left his chair and was standing by the platform; he was obviously pissed. Laxus let out a small exhale of breath, resting his head against the cold wood. There was no point in worrying now, it was inevitable.

"Its over," The guard yelled. "Part."

Freed did as instructed, removing himself from Laxus and allowing him to breath. The blonde remained on the mat, both because of exhaustion from the fight and out of acceptance of his fate. He'd lost the fight and let his father down, therefore embarrassing his father and himself in front of the entire town. He didn't know what punishment he would undergo, but he knew that it would make the salt in an open wound look kind in comparison.

When he opened his eyes, Freed had been announced as the winner. The crowd was silent, most likely out of worry for what Laxus was going to go through. Laxus looked up when he saw Freed's hand outstretched for him to take. Despite knowing it probably wouldn't get his father's favour, Laxus took it and allowed Freed to pull him up.

"You did well," Freed said, panting slightly.

Now, it was Laxus who was silent.

"Your father seems angry at you," The victor continued, looking over Laxus' shoulder. "If it makes the situation better for you, know I could have made him give up within the first minute. You put up a fight."

"You should leave," Laxus muttered. "He won't keep to his word."

Laxus had nothing more to say to him, so turned and walked to the edge of the platform. He stepped down, seeing his father walking towards him from the corner of his eye. He tried not to let the nervousness show as he stopped, turned towards him and stood to attention. He also tried to ignore the curious look on Freed's face at his actions.

As Ivan walked closer, Laxus could see that he was very barely restraining the look of anger that threatened to tear across his face. Laxus couldn't stop himself from swallowing as Ivan stood close enough to make them chest to chest.

"In my office," Venom was obvious in his tone. "Leave!"

Ivan walked away, leaving Laxus to deflate where he stood. No matter what was going to happen, he knew he was going to be at the mercy of Ivan's cruelty, and the relationship between them was only going to worsen things.

He was fucked.

* * *

The silence was suffocating. But Laxus knew that, the moment it stopped, he would be willing it back.

He stood in his father's empty office, arms behind his back and chest expanded slightly as he looked towards the back-wall Ivan's desk stood before. He still wore his kamishimo and his cuts were untended, but both factors were the last thing he was thinking about. A few bleeding cuts and an outfit that was made for fighting was nothing compared to the reaction that his father would have if he weren't in his office as soon as he possibly could be.

Hearing the gentle ticking of his father's clock, Laxus tried not to stir. He didn't know when Ivan would return, but he knew that when he did, Laxus would get no respite. He had been standing in the office for five minutes – at least, that's what he estimated – and the nervousness was killing him. That was probably the point of making him wait in the first place.

If it was, it was working.

As he waited, Laxus tried to distract himself from his stress by thinking about the man who had caused it. His feelings about him were… conflicting. This random man had walked into the town, gotten into a situation where he would fight Laxus, and had won and left Laxus to deal with the consequences. Laxus should be pissed at him, but he wasn't. Perhaps because, subconsciously, he knew that Freed fate would be worse if he had lost.

He didn't know what happened with Freed when he left. He expected that, if Ivan was going to stick to his word, a guard would have given him his possessions and 'escorted' him out of the land that Ivan considered his own.

The slamming of a door behind him cut Laxus' speculation off.

Laxus was a statue as Ivan stomped through the room. He forced his eyes open as Ivan walked behind his desk, deciding to stand behind his chair rather than sitting. Laxus could see that the relatively calm façade had fallen, and now was replaced with a look of rage. All it took was a single look in his eyes for Laxus to know he was fucked.

Ivan remained quiet for a moment. Laxus could see that his hands were grasping the top of his chair tight enough for his knuckled to turn red. He was breathing heavily, and Laxus could hear every exhale. Each breath increased the worry Laxus felt considerably.

"What the fuck was that?" Ivan suddenly yelled, making Laxus flinch a little.

"I'm sorry, sir," Laxus immediately spoke. "He was-"

"Did I say you could talk?" Ivan continued, still yelling loudly. He liked to keep up a pretence of being calm in public, Laxus knew otherwise. "The purpose of that fight was to ruin that man. To make him laughable, to punish him for even daring to question my authority, to make sure everyone in this fucking town knows that I'm in charge and anyone who has any ideas otherwise will not be tolerated. All you needed to do was beat him in a fight, something you've been trained to do for most of your damn life. But no, what did you do?"

"Sir-"

"Do not interrupt me!" Ivan practically screamed.

He stormed around the desk, glare tainting his face and anger almost burning in his eyes. Laxus remained still, knowing that whatever Ivan was doing would worsen if Laxus showed any sign of intimidation. He just needed to get through this, that was all.

"You humiliated me," Ivan yelled directly into his face. "Everyone in this shitty little town saw what happened. They saw how fucking useless you are, they saw you lose against that stupid little mongrel. All that goes towards me! You represent me and now you've humiliated me. I am to be a god to them and you have ruined that! Because of you and you crappy fighting, you have ruined what I have spent years creating."

"Sir, he doesn't fight in the-"

Ivan's hand shot up. He grabbed Laxus' throat and squeezed tightly, making the blonde grasp. His instincts told him to pull his father off him – he was stronger and a better fighter than Ivan, he knew that - but he knew it wasn't worth it. What his father lacked in strength he made up for in sadism.

"You do not give yourself excuses!" Ivan screamed again. "You were not good enough. You were not strong enough. You were pathetic. What were you?"

"Pathetic," Laxus rasped, now slightly struggling to breathe.

"You've always fucking disappointed me," Ivan growled, grip tightening. "You know, I thought that you'd be able to grow up after that ratty old man died and his influence went with him, but you're still weak. Still a little kid who doesn't know how to look after himself. Fucking pathetic, just like the man who tainted you."

Laxus now felt angry. His grandfather – Ivan's own fucking father – was not just a 'ratty old man' and he had not tainted Laxus. He had raised him better that Ivan could have ever hoped to do. But he couldn't speak, because of the fucking effect that his father had over him.

"I am done looking after you," Ivan forced eye contact. "You're not a fucking man, you just pretend to be one. You need to grow the fuck up and man up!"

Ivan released his grasp on Laxus' throat and walked back behind his desk. Laxus breathed audibly to catch his breath, still unblinking as he watched Ivan. The berating was bad enough, but he knew whatever physical punishment that Ivan had planned for him would be terrifying. The blonde had seen other members of the town go through hell for disappointing Ivan before. They had disappointed Ivan less than Laxus had, and they hadn't been Ivan's child and therefore directly related to his reputation.

"Get out," Ivan suddenly demanded.

"What?" Laxus frowned. That couldn't be it, just getting yelled at.

"You keep fucking up, and I'm done with it," Ivan yelled again. "This town is mine, and I rule it because I am strong. You insult my reputation with everything you do and this is the last time. I want you out of my office, out of my house, out of my fucking town! You are not my child, not get out. Maybe you'll learn to be a man on without me babying you."

Laxus breath was caught in his throat. There were many things he expected, all of them painful. The stocks, where he would be forced got stand under the blistering sun without a shirt for hours without food, water or rest; working in the mines, where he would not be granted any safety equipment and he would be overworked and purposefully exhausted; or even being taken into the centre of town and being whipped with his father's favoured cat o' nine tails. Pain, exhaustion and being forced into a dangerous situation was something that he could deal with and something he had expected, but not this.

He was being kicked out? He would be forced to leave his home, his friends, and pretty much everything he knew. All because he lost a fucking fight against a random fucking stranger who happened to be caught by some fucking guard and just happened to piss Ivan off enough to cause this situation. His life was being completely upturned because of this fucking stranger.

"Are you being serious," Laxus suddenly growled. "You're kicking me out because of some stupid-"

"I am kicking you out because you're a worthless piece of shit," Ivan yelled.

Laxus watched as Ivan walked back from behind the desk and towards the door of his office. He slammed it against the wall and opened it. He looked at Laxus, silently demanding that he leave. Laxus slowly walked towards it, heart racing.

Holy shit, this was actually happening.

"And let me make something clear to you, Laxus," Ivan growled, his voice deep and toxic. "If I ever seen your face anywhere near my fucking town, that scar is going to be the nicest thing I will have done to it."

The door was slammed the moment Laxus walked through it. From there, he walked on autopilot. Nobody spoke to him as he left the large house that he now no longer lived in, nor did they try to approach him as he walked through the middle of the town. He knew he needed to leave now, he had no doubt Ivan was serious with his threat and that he would make sure that he was gone within the hour. He didn't know what exactly would happen if Ivan did find him, but he knew it would be more painful than anyone not sadistic could conceive of.

For the first time in a long time, he walked through the gates of Fairy Tail. Wearing nothing but a blood stained kamishimo and with nothing but the sword attached to his belt, he was forced to leave his home. He felt lost, alone and enraged.

Only one thought consisted in his mind. This was the fault of Freed-fucking-Justine.

* * *

_I hope you all enjoyed this. This fic is a little different to what I'm used to writting, and fight scenes are something I'm not overly confident with, so I hope it wasn't too bad. Updates will come every Monday and Friday until the fic is done. I hope you all enjoy it!_


	2. Chapter 2 - Unwanted Truths

**Chapter Two – Unwanted Truths **

**_Year: 1539x. Luna-cycle: 8. Day: 18. _**

Laxus was sick of fish. He was sick of the cold, dying old forest that he had been forced to take up residence in. He was sick of waking up on the dirt with nothing but a ratty old blanket to cover him. He was sick of feeling the aches and blisters that remained from the untended wounds that still covered almost all aspects of his body.

But right now, he mainly was sick of the fucking fish.

Only a week had passed since the stranger had arrived in Magnolia. Only a week since Laxus had been forced into fighting the green haired man, had lost and been forced out of his village as retribution. It had been a tough fucking week.

He'd pitched up camp – if it could be considered a camp – at the edge of Hakobe forest, just out of Ivan's territory. He had been forced to rely on the limited skills that he'd gained from the survival training, which he was now incredibly thankful for. He was camping beside a river for fresh water, on an elevated mound of rock that would counter any negative impacts of the rainfall that populated the area and made sure that his food was tied up from a tree as to keep it safe from any animals taking it in his sleep; thankfully, that particular issue hadn't yet arisen.

Laxus wouldn't doubt it if Ivan had instructed his guard to kill all wildlife just to stroke his ego.

The guards were something that Laxus had worried about, but it seemed fate was at least being kind to him in that respect. On the first day, he'd heard the guard approaching and made sure to keep himself hidden, but he had felt a small amount of hope when he heard the loud and familiar voice of the guard patrolling his area of the forest. When he risked taking a glance and looking at the guard, his suspicions were proven right. It was Bickslow.

Although their reunion was short-lived – Laxus knew the guards had a lot of ground to cover in a short time – Bickslow promised his friend that he would help anyway he could. They agreed that Bickslow would smuggle things out of the town and hide them in the large knothole of a tree of an equally large tree.

It really was a blessing. On the first day of their agreement, the knothole was filled with a blanket, some large sheets of slightly torn leather, a large spool of rope, and a bed roll. He'd tied the leather on the trees that overhung the rock he was camping on to create a makeshift shelter and used the bedroll and blanket to get a relatively good nights sleep. Every day, Laxus had checked the knothole and every day, Bickslow had left him something: ranging from a box of match so that he could easily set fires for himself and keep himself warm, to the daily half-finished loaf of stale bread with an equally old pot of jam. It wasn't luxurious, but the blonde didn't care.

But he couldn't rely on Bickslow for everything.

On his third day he'd made himself a spear from a fallen branch and had used it to fish in the river. He knew Bickslow could only smuggle him food for so long without getting caught, and he didn't want his friend to be punished for helping him, so he would have to become self-sufficient. On the morning of the fourth day, he used a knife Bickslow had given him to scratch a note into some leather that he could handle food himself now so he didn't have to worry, which he then left in the knothole for Bickslow to find.

However, after four days of eating hardly anything but fish, and with only enough bread left for two slices and a near empty jam jar, Laxus found himself sick of fish. But he couldn't do anything about it, which was why he found himself holding the impaled salmon over the fire as he cooked it.

He couldn't live like this forever. He needed a plan on what to do next.

As he slowly turned the fish around, he tried to think through what he could actually do. The obvious answer was that he should find another town, see if he could make a new life for him there. The only issue, Magnolia was entirely secluded, and Ivan made sure nobody knew what life was like outside of the town. Hell, the maps probably didn't even include the part of Hakobe forest that Laxus was camping at, and it was less than fifty yards from his settlement.

With a sigh, Laxus leant back. His best options were either to stay in the forest and hope not to get caught, or to choose a direction to go and hope he reached a town that would accept him. Either plan needed a lot of hope, and he didn't feel particularly hopeful at that moment.

He ran his hand over his face, still slowly rotating the fish that would be his dinner for the night. He allowed himself to listen to the sound of the forest. If there was one positive aspect of his exile – and there truly only could be one – it was the calmness of the forest compared to the town. The sound was calm and only consisted of the river flowing nearby and the insects chirping around him. It was a short moment of unbroken peace.

Until it was broken. By the sound of branches cracking.

He shot up immediately, leaving his fish resting on the rock as he picked up his knife. He'd set up in thick circle of fallen branches around his camp, so he could be alerted to a threat if it approached. So far, it had been unneeded, but even if he had misheard it, Laxus wasn't going to risk it.

His approach to the source of the sound was cautious, and he was holding the knife with a tight grip. He carefully looked over the landscape, looking either for an animal that could have caused the cracking or perhaps an attacker of some kind. His gaze was narrowed, and face contorted into a scowl, hoping that he could scare the attacker away if they existed.

It took him less than a minute to see who had caused the cracking of branches. His jaw clenched when he did.

Freed fucking Justine.

Laxus had been thinking about the man since his exile, and no thought had been pleasant. This man had been the reason his life had been upended in the way it had, and Laxus' mind had contorted him into a man easy to hate. Seeing him again, Laxus was forced to confront the reality that he was a normal person.

He was wearing the clothes that Laxus had first seen him in, with a sword attached to his belt and a passive expression on his face. He hadn't yet noticed Laxus, but the blonde didn't Care. Because all he was looking at a normal man, and it pissed him off.

"Why the hell are you here?" Laxus snarled through gritted teeth.

This was what alerted Freed to Laxus' presence. He seemed a little startled, but not exactly scared by the sudden arrival of the other man. He looked him up and down, seemingly assessing Laxus in the same way that he had during their fight. This time, Laxus didn't allow himself to be affected by the other man, and his grip around the knife tightened to the point where his knuckles were white and hand nearly blistering against the knife's hilt.

Suddenly, another option of what Laxus could do struck him. If he were to return to the town, holding a knife to Freed's throat as an offer, there was a good chance it could do well to get his father's favour. So he found himself confused by the what he said next.

"I don't care, actually," He grunted. "Fuck off, don't wanna end up getting your neck slashed, do ya?"

Freed raised an eyebrow at that, and slowly grabbed the hilt of his sword. He pulled it out slowly, and it glinted in the light of the fire. He didn't raise it, simply kept it open as both a precaution if Laxus attacked and as a warning to stop him from doing something stupid. Laxus didn't move, so Freed slowly started to walk forward and diminish the gap between them.

"Mr Dreyar," Freed began, his expression patronising. "Given our last encounter, I have to wonder if you're capable of that."

Laxus' jaw clenched. His grip on his knife was as tight as it could possibly get.

"If you're insistent, I will fight you. Just be warned that I not only have the better weapon, but I also know how you fight and know how to counter it, meaning I have a considerable advantage over you," Freed smirked. "So I think it would be in your benefit if we're civil, don't you?"

With a glare on his face, Laxus found himself questioning why he hadn't acted on his impulse immediately. He could have overpowered Freed before he had the chance to pull out his sword if he moved when the ideas struck him. If he had, he could have removed the man's weapons and would already be walking him towards the town, hoping it would be enough to appease his father again and allow him to return to his normal life.

So why the hell hadn't he taken the chance while it was still there?

Wearing a small snarl, Laxus knew there would be no point in fighting. He hadn't slept well, nor eaten anything of substance for a week, so he was in no fit state to fight. And, as much as he wasn't going to admit it, Freed had outfought him before and might do so again.

Instead of speaking, he slammed his knife into a nearby tree and lowered his hand, leaving the weapon where it was; admitting Freed was right with his actions rather than words. Freed seemed to understand what that meant, as he pushed his sword into the ground and pulled a knife from his coat pocket, slamming it into the same tree that Laxus had. With that, an uneasy truce was made.

"So," Laxus muttered. "This a coincidence, or did ya hunt me down to take the piss out of my fighting skills?"

"A coincidence," Freed chuckled a little. "And I wouldn't mock how well you fought. You were good."

Laxus huffed sharply at that. If he was good, he wouldn't be in the fucking forest eating an unappetising fish with a spear hole in it- Shit, his fish.

He walked back to the open fire and picked up the salmon and started to rotate it over the fire, taking note of the sound of Freed's footsteps following him. He glanced back to see that the knives still remained in the tree and his sword was still sticking in the dirt, so he didn't see any point in worrying as he sat on the cold stone and continued to cook his dinner.

It was slightly demoralising, cooking as crap meal in front of the person who lead him into this situation wasn't something that he enjoyed. But he would rather do this than keep his pride and go hungry until Freed left; hopefully that would be sooner rather than later.

"You don't believe me?" Freed said, sitting beside him.

"If I was any good at fighting, we wouldn't be sitting here," Laxus muttered as he slowly started to rotate the fish. "I wouldn't even be in this fucking forest."

"Just because you lost, you can still be good in a fight," Freed continued, seemingly not bothered by the fact that Laxus was half attempting to make him feel guilty. "And I can assure you, you were good at fighting. With a few adjustments, I'm sure you could have beaten me without much trouble."

Laxus kept his gaze forward, though his expression was somewhat impassive. He had turned Freed into someone who was relentlessly cruel and vicious, and that was how Laxus had justified both his loss to Freed and his anger towards him. so, to not only see him as a regular man, but to also have him give Laxus compliments completely destroyed the version of his opponent that he had created. Now sitting next to Freed, who was less of a caricature that Laxus had hoped for, the blonde didn't know how he should behave.

He wanted to fee angry. The only aspect of control he had over the situation was his memory of Freed, and now that his memory was disproved, he lost all control over what was happening. He should be angry, but he couldn't bring himself to it. Instead, he settled for tiredness.

"Please, enlighten me to how I could have done that," He muttered, sarcastically.

"Well, on any technical standpoint, you should have won," Freed said, either not picking up the sarcasm or ignoring it. "Everything you did was correct, and you followed the techniques up with impressive physical strength and you were relentless with how you acted. It was obvious that you've been training for quite some time. You were probably quite good at it as well, correct?"

"Yeah," Laxus said, humouring the guy with a small frown.

"And that was your issue. From what I saw of your town, it was very routine," Freed continued. "So was your fighting style. Following the disciplines of that fighting style, you're obviously very good. But, the problem that fighting in such a disciplined way means, once I know your fighting style, I know how to counter it."

The impaled fish stopped rotating, and Laxus looked towards Freed with a small look of confusion. He'd grown up thinking of fighting as a sport, something that was more artful than anything else. The practicality of it had never come up because he'd never had to fight for something other than entertainment. It was obvious that Freed had a different opinion on fights, that they were things to be won and nothing more. In hind sight, Laxus probably should have gone into the fight thinking the same thing.

An almost nauseating sensation filled his stomach, something akin to regret. What Freed was saying – or at least what Laxus had concluded from what he said – was that he could have won their fight if he was more instinctive and less restrained. It was a small thing, and if he had done it things would have been pretty fucking different.

He ignored the voice in the back of his mind that questioned if that would have been a good thing or not.

"You're burning your salmon."

Laxus blinked at the sound of Freed speaking again, and his gaze snapped towards him. After realising what he had said, he looked towards his fish that was now burning at the bottom and had become the same colour of the burning wood. He quickly removed it from above the open flames and hissed; this was the last fish he had, and he wasn't in the mood to spear-fish again, so he would have to deal with eating this for the night.

As he brought the ruined food to his lips and took a tentative bite, he saw Freed remove the large bag he was holding from his shoulder. Wincing at the taste of the fish, he saw Freed remove a large mass of brown paper from his bag. He watched as the other man unwrapped the paper to reveal a large mass of pastry.

Freed didn't speak as he brought a breadknife from his bag, that was also wrapped in the brown paper. He slowly cut the pastry in half, revealing that it contained a large amount of meat inside. He wordlessly handed one half to Laxus, who frowned at it.

"With how you've cooked that, you'll probably chip a tooth," He commented, looking to the fish.

It was tempting not to take the offer of food, to claim Freed was being patronising and that his comments on the fish were just him being a dick. But Laxus wasn't in a position turn down food at this point – certainly food that wasn't fish or stale bread covered in a thin layer of jam. And if a small amount of mocking was what he needed to get this, he could accept that.

"Thanks," He nodded, taking the half pie for himself. "Fish is all I've eaten for like a week, would've thought I'd figure out how to fucking cook it."

"I'm sure you'll pick it up," Freed chuckled, and Laxus couldn't be sure if he was being mocked or if Freed was just making conversation. "I will admit, I didn't think I would see you again. After the expression your father was giving you, I assumed you'd be spending the next few months doing any dirty work that he could think of."

"That's him on a good day," Laxus chuckled spitefully.

He took his first bite of the pie, relishing in the flavour of what he concluded was breaded pork. As he swallowed, he caught sight of Freed side-eyeing him with confusion on his face. After finishing the bite, he looked to Freed and sighed.

"He kicked me out," He explained.

"Of your house? Just for losing a fight," Freed frowned, shifting slightly. "Seems like an overreaction."

"Yeah," Laxus let out a bitter laugh again. "Wasn't just the house, either. Not allowed in the village."

"Really?" Freed seemed shocked. "For how long."

"Don't know what your definition of an exile is," Laxus muttered. "But for Ivan, it means I ain't allowed back at all."

Funny, that was the first time he'd said it out loud. He expected it to fill him with the same sense of dread and nausea that he had felt when he had first been told of his exile, but instead he felt almost hollow. Perhaps he was just tired of the situation – as well as being generally tired – and was just accepting everything for what it was. Unchangeable.

Freed was frowning after taking a bite out of his food, not bothering to hide his expression as he looked towards Laxus. The blonde couldn't blame him for acting like that; even without knowing any other life, Laxus knew that Ivan ran his town in a way that wasn't the norm. He mindlessly wondered if Freed would have acted differently if he had known the consequences Laxus had faced for losing beforehand. Probably not; Laxus wouldn't have risked losing his life if the only consequence his opponent would face would be losing their home.

"Just for losing a fight," Freed finally spoke again. "That's… that's just ridiculous."

"The kinda man my dad is, I guess," Laxus all but shrugged, tearing into another bite of the pie. "The way he saw it, he'd put his reputation into that fight. You didn't worship the ground he walked on and, if I lost, it might tell other people they can get away with treating him the same way. Kicking me out was restoring his power."

"If that's true, you're father's pathetic," Freed frowned.

Laxus shrugged, not finding it in himself to disagree. In many ways, his father really was a pathetic man. He hid it behind layers of sadism and false power, but Laxus had always felt that he would be all bark and no bite if actually challenged. The only issue was that the layers of sadism and false power meant that nobody was going to challenge him. Laxus included.

"Guess he is," Laxus sighed. "But that's just how that town is, now. Ivan's in charge of the place and you do what he says. If you don't, he'll make your life hell until the next person pisses him off, and even then, he'll hold a grudge."

"Has he always been like that?"

"For as long as I can remember, yeah," Laxus took another bite of the pie. "The town used to be better, though. Before he died, my grandfather was in charge and it was a different place entirely. We used to export all the time, people could actually leave the damn place and Ivan had someone who would stand up to him. After he died, Ivan could do whatever the hell he wanted and destroyed anything that was good about the town. Said he wanted to make it strong, whatever that meant."

Freed nodded a little. He wouldn't say it, but his reason for visiting the town was the small mystery that surrounded it. Seemingly without reason, the town had cut off contact with everyone and refused all trade. Obviously, that unknown reason was Ivan.

The conversation ended there, and Laxus continued to eat the pie that he had been given. It was strange, he having a conversation with the man who had completely changed his life for the worse and he felt no anger towards him. If anything, they were talking like they were acquaintances. Perhaps it was the uneasy truce that had come by the abandonment of their weapons, or the food that could have been seen as a peace offering, but Laxus really didn't feel any hatred towards Freed when he knew he should. Most likely because of the unwanted truth he was denying himself from believing.

An unwanted truth Freed was going to voice.

"Not to trivialise what you're going through," The stranger said, almost hesitant. "But maybe it's better to get away from that kind of life."

There it was. The reason he didn't feel his blood boil at the sight of Freed. The reason he hadn't been dragged out of the town kicking and screaming. The reason he didn't take Freed to his father when he had the chance. Because compared to living in the town, camping alone in a forest he was ill equipped to deal with was actually the better alternative.

He didn't voice this, though. He just shrugged.

"What are you plans now, then?"

And there was the other thought Laxus had been pushing to the back of his mind. He had no idea what to do next. Staying in the forest for the rest of his life was ridiculous, and he couldn't put his hopes into finding a town by coincidence and hoping for the best. And those were his best options.

"I haven't got a fucking clue," He laughed, running a hand over his face. "I'll be fine, though. Somehow."

There was silence between them for a moment, and Laxus found himself doubting his own words. He could say that he would be fine, but that really wasn't a certainty. He had no idea how to deal with living outside of the village, he had no idea if he would be able to make a living for himself even if he did manage to find some kind of civilisation. Nothing in his life was certain right now, and it was yet another fact that he was trying to push to the back of his mind.

He looked towards Freed to see that his face had tensed slightly. It looked as if he was calculating something, and Laxus didn't care enough to think what that was. He simply waited and watched as Freed was brought back to reality.

"Would you like to travel with me, at least for a little while," He eventually offered.

Laxus paused at this, and his face turned into a frown. He grunted his next words. "You taking pity on me?"

"Yes," Freed said bluntly. "But given you're in a situation that is completely foreign to you, and that your best option seems to be eating burnt fish until you die, I don't think you're in a position to let your pride get in the way."

The blonde's jaw clenched. Freed was still an arrogant asshole, it seemed.

"It's up to you entirely, of course," He continued. "But I imagine I'm considerably more experienced in traveling, and I'm aiming to go to some of the larger cities, which will probably be the places best suited to your needs currently, I can probably get you there with minimal trouble. Unless, of course, you've grown fond of eating the charred remains of the local wildlife."

He knew Freed was mocking him, but he couldn't find the effort to feel offended. What Freed was offering wouldn't come again. Having a guide to the cities, and perhaps even someone to help him find work when he got there, was something he needed.

His jaw clenched a little. His pride needed to be put aside for this. Practicality needed to take its place, a lesson he had learnt from his fight. A lesson he needed to take.

"You got anything I can write on?" He asked.

Freed reached into his bag, pulled out some paper and a stick of chalk, and handed it to Laxus. The blonde wrote a small message for Bickslow, explaining that he was moving on from being at the edge of the forest, that he was thankful for the help Bickslow had given him, and that he hoped to see him again eventually under better circumstances.

He had felt Freed looking over him, reading as he wrote. The note was as much confirmation Freed was going to get on his offer; Laxus was putting his pride behind him for most situations, but not completely.

After finishing his note, he started to walk towards the tree Bickslow has been stashing things in, telling Freed that he wouldn't be long. The walk only lasted a few minutes, but it gave Laxus the time to feel the nervousness return, but this time it wasn't nauseous. This time, he wasn't being forced to do something against his will, he was taking a step into the new life he found himself. Making the first decision he had all week about what he was going to do.

His mind strayed to Freed as he carefully placed the note in the knothole. He had no idea what their relationship would be. Maybe they would not grow out of their cautious truce, maybe they would bond, or maybe Laxus would realise he had made a mistake and leave Freed before they got close to a city. It was all uncertain.

But one thing was for certain, Freed was Laxus' best and only chance of moving on.


	3. Chapter 3 - Swindling Cities

**Chapter Three – Swindling Cities**

**_Year: 1539x. Luna-cycle: 9. Day: 9._**

He wouldn't admit it, but Laxus found himself incredibly intimidated.

A month had passed since Laxus had been exiled from Magnolia, and three weeks had passed since he had agreed to travel with Freed until they reached a city that Laxus could make his new life in. It had taken twenty-two days of near constant traveling – with only one night spent in an actual bed after they had stumbled across a town with a vacant inn – but they had finally arrived at the city nearest of Magnolia. And Laxus found himself very taken aback by it.

After spending his entire life in a village, a city was an entirely foreign experience. The buildings seemed to expand indefinably; the shadow of the towering castle located in the centre of the city was cast over half the buildings; and even from the entrance Laxus knew that the multiple alleys would make for a hellish labyrinth for anyone new to the city. Including Laxus.

"We should find somewhere to sleep for the night."

Laxus snapped his head to look towards Freed after he spoke. The other man seemed more at home than Laxus, though that wasn't surprising. Over the three weeks together, it had become very clear that Freed hadn't just travelled to Magnolia on a whim; he was a well-versed traveller and had probably seen every corner of Fiore.

Over the three weeks of traveling, their relationship had become almost exactly what Laxus had expected. They couldn't be categorised as friends, that would be too far, but the hatred that Laxus still slightly wanted to feel towards him wasn't right either. Tolerance was probably the most accurate term, but even that seemed a little too clinical for Laxus' taste. They could hold a conversation as they had three weeks prior, but it had felt like they were just filling silence whenever they did.

They were civil to each other. That's all Laxus could be sure of.

"I know of a cheap tavern here, the owner's fond of me so I can perhaps negotiate some long-term habitation for you," Freed continued, looking over his shoulder. "Unless you have any objections, of course."

"No, that'd be fine. Great actually, thanks," Laxus nodded a little. "You really think you can do that for me? Not exactly sure when I'm gonna get some money to pay for it. Probably not an easy sale for ya, is it?"

"If you're willing to do some physical work for them until you get a job, lifting beer barrels and such, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Although he wouldn't say it, Laxus was thankful. Not only was he completely overwhelmed by the city and knew he wouldn't be able to adapt on his own – not immediately – but he had also worried about what he would actually do when he found a place to live. If Freed could make good on his promise, then Laxus would not only have somewhere to stay for a little while but, if he did end up working for his stay, he could potentially turn that into a full-time job. It wouldn't be glamourous, but practicality was all Laxus needed.

The way Freed had offered his help was something Laxus was appreciative of as well. Despite Freed outwardly admitting he was taking pity on him before, Laxus felt a silent respect had formed between them. Nothing near admiration, just respect. So, while he could have been patronising towards him, he had simply offered Laxus a way to survive on his own.

"The tavern is a fairly long walk away," Freed continued. "There's a market on the way and I'm running low on supplies. I can point you in the right direction form there if you don't want to watch me shop."

"No, if I'm gonna spend time here, might as well get to know what it's like soon," Laxus said, not admitting that he also expected he would get lost in the city even with directions.

Freed nodded and started to walk towards one of the many alleyways that Laxus could see. They soon had merged into the busy crowd, something Laxus was thankful for. Even in the town's they had come across, they stuck out, so it was nice to have some anonymity. Well, they weren't entirely faceless in the crowds, Laxus only had one outfit other than the kamishimo that he had been exiled wearing, and it consisted of barely fitting clothes that were unwanted by the town's tailor as they couldn't be sold. The black pants, purple shirt and fur lined coat was a mismatch of colours that attracted the eyes of some passers-by.

Laxus hadn't yet admitted to himself that he had grown fond of the cape-like coat. This hesitance to admit it was only partially because Freed had insisted that he buy it whereas Laxus had been resistant to it.

They walked in silence, and Laxus tried to memorise the streets as best he could for future use. The seemingly endless rows of almost identical buildings made this difficult, as did the copious amounts of side streets and alleys that Laxus had lost count of multiple times. Laxus assured himself that he would get used to the new place in time, but something in his gut said that he was only kidding himself. He tried to shut that voice out.

After what Laxus guessed was fifteen minutes of walking, the relatively cramped streets opened up into a fairly large town square. It was shadowed by a cathedral and the cobbled ground was covered by a busy, bustling market town. People were eating, buying whatever wears they needed and talking with each other.

It brought a smile to his face. Although the memories faded slightly, this reminded him of how market days in Magnolia used to be before Ivan. Full of chatter and happy people. Looking across the almost familiar sight, Laxus found himself missing Magnolia for the first time since joining Freed.

"It shouldn't take long, I know my way around this market-" Freed stopped himself as he looked to Laxus. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Laxus looked towards him, snapping himself out of the daze he didn't know he was in. "Just got caught up in my thoughts. What are you looking for?"

"Not much. Some food, and my knife's starting to dull," Freed continued to walk again, going towards the busy market with purpose in his stride, as if he'd been there before. He probably had. "Is there anything you need, I can direct you to wherever you need to go."

"No, think I'm fine," Laxus replied, looking around with a small amount of intrigue.

The market, though slightly resembling the one that had taken place in Magnolia, was on a much grander scale. White stalls seemed to fill the entirety of the town's square, people seemed to cover all of the cobbled streets, and the intoxicating smell of the food vendor's goods wafted across the air and towards the two men. Laxus tried not to let his stomach grumble, he'd been hungry since leaving and this was the first-time real food had been attainable.

He shadowed Freed as he walked throughout the market, not seeing any point in interacting with anyone. The food was nearest the clocktower, then it faded into wears such as knives jewellery and such; and ended up with clothes and fabrics. Fairly easy to remember.

As Freed inspected a selection of knives that would make both a butcher and a warrior feel inferior, Laxus found himself tempted by the suddenly domineering scent of a roasting pig at a stall only meters from where he stood. He'd only eaten the cold food that Freed kept with him, not having requested anything cooked on the few instances where it was possible. Freed would have had to pay for that, as Laxus had no money, and the blonde refused to be in the man's debt any more than was completely necessary.

Soon the smell would get too much, and his stomach would start grumbling, so he tore his eyes aware from the food market and looked back to Freed. He had picked up a small dagger and was holding it against the tip of his finger, inspecting the blade with slightly narrowed eyes and a frown across his features.

"I'll have this," Freed eventually settled, looking to the vendor. "How much is it?"

"Three gold," The vendor's voice was gruff, leaving no room for argument. Freed clicked his tongue but reached into a coin pouch and handed in the money; obviously the dagger was worth it in his eyes.

"Thank you," Freed nodded. The vendor just nodded and looked away.

Again, Laxus only watched as Freed slid the newly acquired dagger into his belt. Freed seemed to be perfectly content with not speaking and allowing Laxus to follow him as he made his way around to the food part of the market. The blonde tried to focus on anything other than the pig slowly being turned atop an open flame, which was practically screaming at his senses and begging to be devoured… ignoring it wasn't going well.

Thankfully, a distraction from the food was offered in the foreign sound of a laugh. He looked towards Freed to see that, yes, Freed had indeed laughed. Furthermore, it seemed as though he had laughed at Laxus, if the amused expression aimed towards him was to be believed.

Before he could ask his travelling companion what he thought was so damn funny, Freed started to walk again. This time, he walked in an entirely different direction to where he had been going before, this time walking straight towards the hog-roast that was the subject of Laxus' desire. Confusion now undeniably obvious on his face, Laxus followed Freed and allowed his question to die on his tongue.

Almost as soon as they reached the food stall, Laxus' stomach got the better of him. An annoying grumble sounded and Laxus winced, purposefully not looking towards Freed as he almost knew he would receive a patronising smirk if he did.

"Two rolls, please," Freed said after a few moments, causing Laxus to look back towards him.

The vendor of the stall made quick work on their order, hacking away at the meat and filling bread rolls with generous helpings. He handed them both to Freed, and Laxus found himself unable to look away from the cooked meat that would – unless Freed truly was sadistic – soon be eaten by him. The idea of eating any hot food seemed fantastic after living off the bare essentials but having flame cooked pork was simply faultless.

"Fifty silver," The vendor requested, and Freed paid for it without complaint.

Soon, one of the rolls was handed to Laxus, who looked down at it with a small amount of confusion despite his desperate want to eat it like a wild dog. But he and Freed hadn't acted like this with each other; there had been no small favours, so why now.

"Eat it before it goes cold," Freed instructed with amusement in his voice. "It's not poisoned, if that's your concern."

"No. Erm, thanks," Laxus still was frowning towards the food. His confusion got the better of him. "Why?"

"To be honest, I was wondering how long you could go without asking," Freed said, annoyingly not answering Laxus' question. The smirk on the man's face was grating against Laxus' nerves as well. "Subtlety is certainly not one of your strong points, Laxus."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Your looks whenever there's hot food nearby, the little sighs whenever you have to eat the same food for a third time in that many days, and a whole assortment of small things that you've been doing to show how much you need something hot to eat. You thought I hadn't noticed?" Freed chuckled. "I just wanted to see how long your pride would get in the way of you asking me to buy something for you."

Against his will, Laxus' face reddened a little. He hadn't realised he had been so obvious with his want for something other than cold meat pies, bread and the occasional fish. To be caught out and mocked because of it was not enjoyable.

"You know I would have brought you something if you wanted, don't you," Freed continued, still obviously amused. "To be honest, I thought about stretching your limits. I was half tempted to get a full meat breakfast at that inn to see if you'd want some for yourself or if you'd just sit and watch me eat. But perhaps that would have been too cruel."

Laxus knew he should have been annoyed, but he wasn't. He didn't waste time wondering why.

He simply brought the food in his hand to his mouth and took a large bit, savouring the flavour of heavily buttered bread, perfectly cooked meat and crispy wisps of fat as he ate. He all but moaned as the warm food set his taste buds alight, the first thing to do so since his last evening meal in Magnolia.

The two ate as they walked, and were back on track to where Freed was initially leading them before their detour. By the time the foot had been completely demolished by the blonde, his stomach felt more satisfied than it had in over a month.

"Worth the wait?" Freed said almost immediately in a mocking – or perhaps teasing was the better word – tone. Laxus was pretty sure he had been waiting to say it, with how quickly the words left his mouth.

"Asshole," Was his only reply.

"Perhaps," Freed agreed, still smirking a little. "But you brought it upon yourself for not being forthcoming. And, if you can handle me in a fight as well as you did, I think you're more than strong enough to handle some gentle teasing."

Ah, so teasing was the right term. Good to know.

They continue to walk through the market, Laxus no placated by the warm food he had tasted as well as the promise of something of a regular life on the horizon. He still found himself slightly intimidated by the busy market as they walked – the contrast was near impossible to believe – but he hoped he did a better job at hiding it than he did his need for a real meal. Freed didn't mention it, so he expected that he wasn't doing too bad of a job.

Still focusing on memorising the market for future use, Laxus saw a stall that Freed was walking towards and almost rolled his eyes. It was a preserves stall, therefore a jam stockpile. So Freed wouldn't be staying in the city for long then. Laxus probably should have expected that.

As they got closer, Laxus saw a young man standing at the stall who seemed to gauge their approach and smiled widely towards them. He could also see what he thought was Freed frowning a little, but it was from the corner of the blonde's eye, so it was entirely possible that he had misinterpreted what had happened. Either way, they continued to walk forward, and the stall's owner continued to look at them.

"Mr Justine, a pleasure to see you," The man greeted with a smile and fondness in his voice. "And a guest, fantastic."

"Rustyrose," Freed said, voice almost monotone. Laxus' brown furrowed a little. "Isn't your father here?"

"He's retired, I'm afraid. You can't expect an old man like that to work the cold mornings of the winter, that's practically medieval," The man – Rustyrose, apparently – said with an unneeded amount of flair. "I'm sure I'll make more than a good enough replacement."

"I doubt it," Freed said, picking up a jam and inspecting it. His voice sounded uninterested. "Your father is a man I respect. You're an intolerable cretin."

It took a considerable amount of self-restraint, but Laxus managed not to snigger. The expression on the stall-keeper's face was priceless, and it soon faded from a look of shock to one of annoyance. Freed looked up from the jar of jam and made direct eye contact with the man, almost challenging him to be offended. Rustyrose didn't take up the challenge.

"So," Freed continued. "I assume your prices are the same as last time?"

"Oh," Rustyrose suddenly perked up, voice overly dramatic again. "I'm afraid times are hard, and with father-dear not working we need all the money we can get just to keep him alive," Laxus had to doubt that. "So our prices may have inflated a little. I am sorry."

He wasn't. Neither Freed nor Laxus thought he tried to be sincere.

"How much are they?" Freed sighed. "And without the theatrics, if at all possible."

"The small jars are one gold and fifty silver, the larger ones three gold and twenty-five silver."

Laxus faltered a little. The same size jars from his town would have been more than half the price in Magnolia. He perhaps had expected a small price rise in the city, but certainly not this much. And, by the almost full glare on Freed's face, the other man hadn't expected the prices to be increased by this much either. At least that meant that Laxus wasn't completely naïve to the world outside Magnolia in this respect.

"Yer kiddin', right?" Laxus said, possibly cutting Freed off.

"Ah, he speaks," Rustyrose gleamed, looking towards Laxus with a grin on his face. "And I think the prices reflect the quality of the product."

As he spoke, Rustyrose motioned towards a sign that had been nailed against the back of the stall, which claimed 'the best preserves the imagination could conceive.' Laxus almost snorted at the claim; assuming he had been eating the man's products while traveling with Freed, he could prove quite easily that Mirajane's products were considerably better quality. He wasn't going to voice that though, as Freed's actions caught him off guard.

The other man pulled out his coin pouch again and fished out the appropriate money for two of the large jars. Laxus didn't exactly know why, everything he knew about Freed lead Laxus to believe that he wouldn't entertain the idea of paying for such an obvious scam. He couldn't really think it was worth the money.

"Raspberry and apricot," He demanded, voice portraying his annoyance.

"A fine choice, sir," Rustyrose sneered, and turned to pick up the correct jars.

Laxus watched, trying not to let his mouth drop a little at the interaction. Surely Freed wouldn't just accept that fact he was being grossly overcharged for some jam. It wasn't possible that this was the only place in the city that sold the damn jam he wanted. And why was he getting those two flavours? He always seemed to favour the strawberry one, Laxus had noted.

Why had he noticed that?

Despite Laxus' disbelief, the situation played out as if it was any other transaction. Rustyrose gave Freed what he wanted, Freed paid for it, Rustyrose gave them both a clearly snide goodbye, and they walked away. It took exactly seven steps before Laxus let his curiosity out.

"You seriously happy paying that much?" He grunted. "And from that guy? He was clearly an asshole."

"He was," Freed agreed.

"Then why the hell d'you let him win," Laxus turned towards the other man. "Guy needs an ego boost even less than you do."

"I know," Freed smiled a little. Laxus noted he didn't seem bothered by the insult. "That's the point. His ego got in the way."

"Yeah, this vague bullshit ain't explaining anything," Laxus muttered.

"He was too busy feeling proud of himself because he thought that he'd won our interaction, he wasn't paying attention enough to see a slight depletion of his stock," Freed said, fully smirking.

Laxus looked down when Freed opened the small bag that he kept. Sitting beside the two glass jars that he had paid for were two other jars, both filled with strawberry jam. Laxus continued to look down, processing the fact that Freed had stolen them, before he looked at his travelling partner with a small frown on his face.

He really hadn't expected Freed to be the stealing type. Sure, Rustyrose deserved it, but that didn't make it any less unexpected. Still, Laxus knew that the money didn't come from nowhere and a traveller could only do so many small jobs. Cutting costs down needed to occur, Laxus just hadn't thought about it until that point. It led him to wonder if Freed had stolen anything else while they had been traveling together. He obviously was good at it, given Laxus hadn't noticed and he was standing right beside him.

"I'd recommend we keep walking," Freed continued. "They tend not to like it when we don't pay."

Laxus didn't say anything, but he nodded slightly and the two continued to walk towards the nearest exit to the market. The blonde wanted to increase his pace, but Freed made sure not to let that happen. Most likely so they didn't look suspicious, they didn't need to stick out any more than they already did.

Their exiting nearly went well. They had managed to make it nearly out, but eventually heard the shrill exclamation that obviously belonged to Rustyrose; his voice really did carry. Laxus, probably against his better judgment, looked over to see the man looking directly at them.

"Shit," Freed whispered, looking forward.

Following his gaze, Laxus could see three men who were obviously guards looking towards them. He looked back over his shoulder to see another guard looking at them, as well as Rustyrose pointing at them furiously.

The guards started to walk towards them before either could do anything. The stalls made barriers either side of them, and the crowd was parting to let the guards through, so there was practically no escape that Laxus could see. The blonde looked down towards Freed to see the man's teeth were clenched and his expression slightly stressed, so obviously he couldn't think of a way out of this situation either.

This wasn't good. And the guards were getting closer.

"Show your hands!" One of the guards yelled. "NOW!"

It took Laxus a few moments to process the instructions, and he was only snapped out of the small trance when he saw Freed's hands raised in the air, the bag on the cobbled streets. The blonde slowly copies the action, not expecting this to have been their plan of action.

The guard's moved quickly after that. They went for Freed first, with the closest guard storming forward and slamming his fist into Freed's stomach. As the man was winded, the guard quickly brought him to the grown with neither finesse nor mercy. The traveller's head was brutally slammed against the cobbles, enough to cause a nasty bruise by Laxus' estimations.

But he had no time to think, as he was soon given the same treatment. One of the guards punched him in the stomach, hard. He then was given a kick to the back of the legs – from the guard that was behind them, probably – and he was then forced to the floor.

He blinked a little, head slammed against the cold stone. The force left him dizzy, and he was almost sure a bruise would be there to commemorate it.

Soon, he felt frayed rope wrapping tightly around his wrists, tying them together with no wiggle room. He was still being held down, both his stomach and his head being pushed against the cobbles as he tried to make sense of what was happening. From his position, he could only see the bottoms of the stalls and some boots of people who were watching, but he could hear that Freed was also getting his hands tied together by the guard.

As he heard the guards talking to each other, they said that the two prisoners – the name given to him and Freed didn't fill Laxus with hope – were to be taken to the local jail and their fates would be decided by the lawmaster. The blonde felt his stomach drop.

Freed was right. Shit, indeed.

* * *

Laxus had observed that many things in the city were more luxurious when compared to Magnolia. The market was bigger and had considerably more stock, the buildings were presented as spotless and clearly designed with an artist's eye, and the atmosphere just seemed to be more pleasant. Almost everything was an improvement, with a few small exceptions of course. One of which was the jail cells that Laxus found himself in.

Because of course that's where he would end up on the first time in a city.

The walls were damp and made of cracking, moss covered stone. The wooden benches were worn away and purposefully uncomfortable. The light flittering through the small, barred window highlighted the heavy layer of dust in the room. It was the antithetic of luxurious.

Laxus had been taken to the jail cells of Magnolia a few times, though never having been a resident of them. Ivan had taken him there to both intimidate the prisoners and to show Laxus is superiority over the rest of the town. Magnolia's cells were almost identical to the ones that Laxus found himself in, only the city had significantly more of them. He and Freed had somehow managed to be placed into the same cell though, which acted as a little comfort to the blonde as he sat and tried to rationalise the situation that he was in and calm himself down.

It didn't work. But it was nice to give himself the illusion of any control over what was happening.

He glanced to his left to see that Freed was sitting on the bench beside him, eyes closed and posture more relaxed than he should be, considering the situation. Laxus quickly got the impression that this wasn't the first cell that Freed had found himself in. Given his reaction to the guards back in Magnolia, Laxus probably should have guessed as much.

The blonde had to wonder if Freed was actually planning to do something. The moment he and Laxus had been shoved into the cell – with all the care someone might give a rabid dog – Freed's eyes were everywhere. He focused on the lock, the bar-covered window and the long corridor of cells that they had just walked down. And now his eyes were closed, and his expression suggested that he was in deep contemplation.

But he couldn't be sure. And the possibility of Freed somehow dealing with the situation didn't do much to calm his nerves. Not after the delighted way that the guards informed them both that the lawmaker of the town was close friends with Rustyrose, and that she was incredibly unhappy with their apparent disrespect to him.

Needless to say, the situation wasn't looking good for them both.

"So," Laxus eventually spoke, the quiet getting to him. "You wanna tell me how many times?"

Freed frowned and looked towards him. "Excuse me."

"How many times you've been in here, or bee in any fucking jail," Laxus grunted a little, still looking forward. "You ain't panicked at all, just kinda acting like it's just a nuisance that'll pass in a couple hours. So, how many times?"

The traveller beside him seemed to think for a few moments. Laxus watched from the corner of his eye as Freed leant the back of his head against the cold stone that made up the walls of the cell. After a few seconds, still with his eyes closed and expression filled with contemplation, he looked back towards Laxus with a neutral expression.

"I assume it won't be a comfort to tell you I may have lost count," Freed chuckled a little.

"Not really," Laxus laughed with a small amount of humour. "How did you manage to get locked up that many times. Other than today, you ain't really done anything that'd piss off a leader. Well, my dad I guess, but he gets pissed at anything."

"Really? He seemed like such a level-headed man when we met," Freed chuckled. "And I don't make a habit of breaking the law, but it sometimes becomes needed."

"Huh?" Laxus looked towards Freed, still wearing a frown.

"I started to travel when I was thirteen, and I haven't spent any substantial amount of time in the same place since I left," Freed looked emotionless as he thought back. Laxus wondered why. "I took some funds with me, but they could never last me forever. I try to do small jobs in towns and cities whenever possible, but sometimes I won't have the time for that nor the money to get myself food, so I sometimes had to steal it.

"It didn't go well at the start, and I got caught most times. Thankfully, lawmakers can be easily manipulated by a teenager who they think is down on their luck – which technically wasn't a lie – so I never spent more than a night in a cell. As I got better, I was caught less, so the cell time depleted."

Laxus nodded a little, glad that there was at least justification to Freed's breaking of the law. Although, it probably wouldn't matter if Freed was just a criminal for the thrill of it – or any other similar reason – as they probably wouldn't see each other after Freed left the city and Laxus started to create a life for himself here. So he wouldn't be traveling with him, knowing that he was a criminal for fun.

Although, he had to admit the idea of doing that was interesting.

Wrongly, Laxus had assumed that Freed was pretty much a square. Sure, he had pissed off Ivan when they had met, and had obviously proven himself to good fighter, but Laxus had just assumed that Freed was adapting to the situation because he had to. Knowing that Freed had a habit of being imprisoned, that put a different tint on their time together.

Maybe Freed had been behaving himself, for Laxus' sake. If that was true, the blonde had to wonder what their travels would have been like with this other side of Freed being shown to him. It was an amusing thought, one he kind of wanted to explore.

Huh. He was second-guessing himself.

But no, that wasn't the plan. The plan was to get to a city and live there from now on. Freed almost defiantly wouldn't want him for any longer than needed; he'd probably diminished the mans food reserves more than he realised, as well as making him spend twice as much on the inn they'd stayed at. No, he couldn't travel with Freed for any longer than needed, he would simply have to unleash his curiosity when they had the chance. And locked up together was as good a time as any.

"When was the last time you got arrested, then? Not including Ivan," Laxus asked, body now shifting towards Freed.

"A while, actually. Over a year," Freed smiled a little. "Shockingly, I'm not nostalgic about it."

"Shocking," Laxus mimicked with a small grin. "I'm gonna guess that part of the reason we ended up here today is because of me, if it's been that long."

"I couldn't possibly say," Freed chuckled a little, standing up and walking to the bars of the cell. Laxus couldn't see a reason for his sudden movement, so just assumed he needed to stretch his legs. "Would I have acted differently if I were alone, perhaps. Would I have been caught, almost definitely not. But don't feel like you're to blame for this."

Laxus rolled his eyes a little when he saw the smug, teasing grin on the traveller's face. The blonde was grinning a little as he muttered. "Asshole."

Well, at least he was teasing and willing to joke about the situation. Laxus would rather that than have Freed angry at him for getting him there. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen if Freed was genuinely angry at him.

Conversation trickled off a little, wit Freed still leaning against the metal bars and Laxus looking around the cramped cells. The fact that Freed had said he'd only spent the night in a cell when he was a kid as if it were a small amount of time, it probably meant that they would be there for considerably longer than that. He might as well get used to the place that would be his home for a short time. Hopefully not too long, though.

Eventually, Freed walked back from the bars and sat down on the cell's bed; well, is a wider wooden bench with a ratty pillow and a blanket could be considered a bed. He sat opposite Laxus directly and grinned.

"Well, I think we've been in here long enough to learn our lessons, don't you?" Freed was smirking.

"I guess," Laxus frowned. "You just gonna walk out? Don't think they'll like that."

"Probably not," Freed chuckled. "But I can get us out, if you want."

Laxus frowned and sifted a little so he was leaning forward. Why wouldn't he want that, unless there was a risk of making things worse for them both. "The hell are you talking about?"

"There's two things we can do, from what I can tell," Freed begun, Laxus leaning forward a little further. "We can stay here for as long as it takes, probably have some kind of punishment from the lawmaker, and we'll eventually be released. They'll also probably keep everything they confiscated from us and, somewhat ironically, we'll probably have to steal some food to survive. Adversely, you can go along with my idea and we'll be out in less than an hour."

"And I'm guessing there's a risk," Laxus sighed.

"There's a chance it wont work. Minimal, but a chance," Freed looked down a little. "And, for the first few weeks of living here, you might need to keep your head down. You will have escaped from a jail, so making yourself known will bring you back here."

"I can do that," Laxus nodded, leaning back against the wall. "So, what do you need me to do."

"Just follow my lead," Freed smiled. "And, in advance, you have my apologies."

With a frown at the last sentence, Laxus watched as Freed stood up again. Confusion was painted in the blonde's expression as he watched the other man shrug off his coat and placed it on the wooden bed, undid the buttons of his cuffs and pulled his sleeves up to his biceps. His confusion doubled when Freed instructed him to do the same, but he did as he was told, placed his coat alongside Freed's, and slid his sleeves up as well.

As he went to sit down on the bench again, Freed grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. Still confused, he allowed Freed to position him in the middle of the cell so that they were facing each other. Laxus really wasn't sure how removing their coats was going to get them out, and he was starting to think that Freed was just playing with him to pass the time.

"Again," Freed said, voice quiet. "I'm sorry."

And then the fucker punched him in the face.

Laxus staggered back a little, grabbing his jaw where Freed's punch had landed. It had been merciless, and Laxus shouldn't have been shocked by the power that was behind it. He knew the guy was strong, evident from both their fight upon meeting and the obvious muscles in his bare arms.

"What the fuck!" He yelled, looking to Freed while still cupping his jaw.

Freed didn't reply, instead he walked forward quickly and planted another vicious punch, this time in Laxus' stomach. Again, he stumbled back, this time winded. Now slightly hunched over and grabbing his stomach, he looked towards Freed with a mixture of anger and confusion on his face. Freed waited for a moment, and then he rolled his eyes a little and stormed forward, his expression going from a small amount of exhaustion to one of anger. It was honestly almost terrifying to see the expression aimed at him.

"So now you're quiet!" Freed suddenly yelled back. "But when a guard's around, you just love making noise!"

He grabbed Laxus by the throat and pushed him against the wall, the anger still in his eyes. The blonde grabbed the arms that were clasped around his neck, not sure if Freed was actually intending to crush his windpipe. By the strength he was holding him, there was every chance that was his intention.

However, when he looked back to Freed's face – which was uncomfortable close to the point where he could feel the man's breath on his lips – he saw the expression of anger was gone. In its place, Freed was looking directly into his eyes with a clear expression of purpose. When his eyes flickered towards the bars of the cell, Laxus followed them and saw a single guard sitting at the end of the corridor.

_Just follow my lead. _

_When a guard's around, you love making noise._

Ah. Okay. They were getting the guard's attention. He could do that. Maybe this could be some overdue catharsis for when they first met.

With a small nod to show he understood, he placed his hands-on Freed's chest and shoved him back; he made sure not to hold back in the same way Freed had. The two looked at each other, both panting a little, and Laxus could have sworn he saw Freed smirking before his expression turned back to the look of anger. He decided not to think too much about why that happened, and instead got his mind back on the task at hand.

He thought back to how he felt when he first met Freed. The expression his father had worn when he lost the fight. His fucking father.

The punch was flying before Laxus knew it.

Slamming his fist into the side of Freed's jaw was weirdly satisfying, but he only felt that happen when he saw Freed grin again. Yeah, this was certainly going to be cathartic, even if it wasn't against the man he thought it might.

Mind now on the 'fight' occurring, Laxus grabbed the other man's shoulders and pushed them down, bringing his knee up at the same time to slam it directly into Freed's gut, winding him in the same way that he had previously been through. Again, once he saw that Freed had recovered, he felt a sense of enjoyment flow through him.

"Loud?" Laxus yelled again, hoping to get and maintain the guard's attention. "Maybe if you stopped fucking about being cocky, we might get shit done!"

"At least one of us has something to be cocky about," Freed retorted, voice a little croaky. Laxus was sure that it took a few seconds longer for Freed's smile to slip away than it had before. "Unless you think stumbling around is something you be proud of, you fucking ogre."

Throughout the jail cells, it was quiet. Previously, there had been the quiet sounds of other conversations or movement of other inmates. Now, all attention was on them. Laxus decided not to reply to Freed, instead listening to the row after he thought he heard the sound of wood scraping against the stone floor; the stool the guard was sitting on. In the silence, Laxus could hear boots walking towards them.

"He's coming," Laxus muttered, taking the break to catch his breath.

"He'll try splitting us up," Freed whispered back, chest heaving slightly. "When he's in the cell, focus on him."

With a nod, Laxus launched himself forward again and wrapped his arm around Freed's neck, pulling him down into a brutal headlock. He felt Freed struggle a little but kept his grasp firm as he heard the guard getting closer.

After Freed slammed his elbow into his stomach again, Laxus released him and stumbled back again. The elbow had landed in exactly the same as the punch from before, leaving him winded and trying to catch his breath. When he saw Freed glance outside of the cell and watched his pupils dilate a little, Laxus knew that he wouldn't be given this break and the fight would have to continue immediately if it were to look real at all.

The punch delivered to his face confirmed his suspicions.

"Asshole," He yelled.

This time, he grabbed Freed's hair. With a firm grasp, he dragged the other man to the wall of bars and forced his head against them. Now with an unhindered view of the corridor, he could see the guard only a cell away. He was looking directly at them. Good.

As Freed broke out of Laxus' hold again, Laxus stepped back to see the guard reaching for his keys. When he saw that the two men had stopped fighting for a few seconds, he obviously hesitated in unlocking their cell. Freed must have seen that, as he lurched forward again. Laxus only had time to wince before he felt the clenched fist against his cheek again. The fucker had a good punch.

"Hey," The guard yelled, key in the lock now. "The hell d'you think you're doing?"

"Giving this moron what he deserves," Freed practically spat. "Just leave us alone, you'll have one less person to deal with at the end of the day."

The door to the cell swung open, and the guard opened his mouth to speak again. Freed and Laxus, however, simply shared a glance and an almost unseen nod. A moment later, they lurched forward and Laxus slammed his fist into the guard's stomach. He stumbled back a bit, and couldn't stop Laxus from grabbing his head and slamming it into the bars with more viciousness than he had with Freed.

Huh. He didn't have to wait to see if the guy was okay before he felt satisfaction from the attack like he had with Freed.

As Laxus kept the guard occupied, Freed had reached around and grabbed the key that was still in the lock. He then quickly reached for the guard's belt as he was grabbing his stomach and pulling out the knife that was kept there. Laxus could only watch as Freed moved quickly, forcing the blade against the man's adam's apple, which bulged at the blade that was now in danger of cutting it. The speed in which Freed had moved reminded Laxus of how they had fought back in Magnolia.

Looking back to the guard, he saw the young man's eye dilate and his posture turn rigid. It was pretty clear that he wasn't going to put up much of a fight.

"This is what's going to happen," Freed spoke with the same tone that he had used when addressing Ivan. Velvet smooth yet somehow threatening in a way that was hard to describe. Laxus hadn't been able to appreciate it before. "We're going to walk very calmly and quietly to the inventory room, we'll get our belongings, and we'll be on our way without so much of an issue.

"However, if you have any ideas of trying to fight back, I'll cut your throat. Then I'll lock you in that cage and we can see how caring your colleagues are," Freed smiled a little and forced the knife up, making the guard look directly at him. "Do we understand each other?"

The guard nodded, and Laxus was left to wonder if Freed would carry out that threat if needed. He thought it best not to ask, instead he picked up both their coats and simply stayed silent.

As the three men started to walk down the corridor, with the knife still resting against the guard's, Laxus could see the other prisoners watching them. He tried not to pay any attention to the eyes watching them as they passed, instead looking straight ahead and following the directions of the guards; even if they were stuttered and said out of fear. The blonde just wanted to get out of the place as soon as he could; the situation was just too foreign for him.

Thankfully, they soon found themselves in what Laxus assumed was the inventory room. Laxus quickly grabbed everything that he recognised was there's that had been taken when they were arrested. After he'd taken anything back, he looked to Freed for guidance.

"Well, my friend, I think it's time for us to depart," Freed chuckled, looking to the guard as if he was enjoying this. He probably was. "I assume that you won't cause us any further trouble."

"N-no," The guard stammered a little.

"Good," Freed smiled, and then released the knife from the man's throat and handed it back to him. "I wish you a good day."

Freed was quick to leave the room, and Laxus followed suit. The confidence in which Freed moved was somewhat comforting, and it seemed the other man had no worries about being caught by another guard so Laxus tried to replicate that.

Apparently, that confidence was not misplaced, as they soon left the building without any trouble at all. Either the guards in a city just happened to be lax on that day, or maybe Ivan was more regimental in his treatment of the guards than Laxus had thought, because walking out of the jail was easy. Perhaps it made sense, without being able to trick the guard into walking into their cell, the two of them would still be there and no guard would be required outside.

As they walked away from the building – at a pretty quick pace, Laxus noted – the blonde found his mind wondering. Wondering about how he would manage to live here after escaping jail, about how he was still a stranger to real society, about how he would probably not see Freed again after he left. It all left him feeling… wrong.

"Hey," Laxus muttered after they merged into a crowd, allowing them to slow down their pace. "I know you said you'd get me a place here, and I'm thankful for this," The blonde's cheeks were slightly red as he spoke. "But, I dunno, maybe this place ain't for me."

Freed paused and looked towards him, a small frown on his face. "You don't?"

"Just doesn't seem like my kinda place, y'know," Laxus found his hand had reached the back of his neck, and he couldn't seem to look Freed in the eye. "And, if the guards are gonna be looking for us, doesn't make sense being here. Not exactly the most subtle guy, am I?"

"I suppose not," Freed chuckled.

"Yeah," Laxus looked down. He knew he was just going to have to ask, dignity be damned. "Look, d'you mind if I stick around with you for a little while longer. I know you probably don't want me hanging around you or anything, but-"

"I enjoy the company," Freed cut him off. "Besides, it's a large choice to make, you shouldn't rush it. I'm sure you'll find a place you're comfortable with soon enough."

"Yeah," Laxus said, though he found himself unsure of his words.

Freed gave him a small nod, and they both continued walking down the busy street and towards the inn that Freed had spoken about. Again, as they walked, Laxus found his mind wondering. This time, however, his mind was entirely occupied by the man he was walking beside. And, unlike before, the feeling in his stomach was that of warmth.

A month ago, this man had turned his life around for the worse. Now he was traveling with him, and glad of it too. In fact, Freed really wasn't that bad of a person to be around; he was good company and pretty similar to Laxus. And, if Laxus was honest, not bad looking too.

Huh. That was new.


	4. Chapter 4 - Healing Wounds

**Chapter Four – Healing Wounds**

**_Year: 1540x. Luna-cycle: 3. Day: 12._**

"You'll need to stop moving, Laxus."

"Shit, sorry."

"Stop apologising."

Laxus didn't reply, instead keeping his eyes trained on the uneven wooden floor before him. He was sitting on an uncomfortable feeling bed in a small inn, shirt removed to expose a torso covered with drying blood, cuts, bruises and scars. His left leg was bouncing a little and his hands were clenched against his knees, teeth gritted as he did his best not to move.

Behind him was Freed, who was treating to Laxus' wounds. The other man was beat up as well, but not to the same degree that Laxus was. He had insisted that Laxus' injuries were more pressing than his own, and that he would deal with himself when he had stopped the bleeding coming from the blonde's back. Laxus had opened his mouth to say something but, as he saw the blood-soaked towel in his traveling companion's hand and realised that it was the same towel that had been pressed against his back seconds prior, the argument died on his tongue.

The clenching in his jaw intensified as he felt a cloth – damn after being doused in alcohol – being pushed against one of his wounds. He had to fight the instinct to either move or push Freed away, knowing that the torturous action was needed. He felt Freed place a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

He and Freed had been travelling together for over half of a year now, and the early hesitance and possible animosity he had held towards Freed had died. The two men had become used to each other and, for the most part, worked as a well oiled machine. They both had strengths and weaknesses that became apparent as time passed, and they would often be able to compensate for each other and, as a team, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Laxus' desire to continue traveling indefinitely with Freed had become apparent after they arrived at their second city. There had been no issues there and Freed had managed to find a similar situation for Laxus so he could have a house and work immediately, but the blonde still hesitated. He had grown used to traveling – and used to Freed – and wasn't ready to give it up. Eventually, after a prolonged goodbye wherein Laxus attempted to come up with an excuse to continue traveling with Freed while also saving his pride, Freed took matters into his own hands and simply gave Laxus the offer to stay with him, to which Laxus thankfully agreed.

Mind you, it wasn't merciful. The smugness on his face was excruciating.

After that, the dynamic of traveling changed slightly. It suddenly felt as though Laxus wasn't just tagging along, as he seemed to have both more responsibilities and more respect. They now trained together, drunk together and, on occasion, laughed together. It was good, and Laxus found himself enjoying it.

Other than the fact he had burning alcohol on an open wound, of course.

"Laxus," Freed spoke again, his voice stern. "You need to stay still, or this'll only get worse."

"I'm fucking trying," Laxus hissed, perhaps childishly. "It ain't happening to you."

Freed didn't reply, instead of focused on cleansing the wound. He tried to act quickly, having been in the same situation and knowing the pain Laxus was going through, but knew doing a good job was more important than making sure that Laxus was comfortable.

The moment he had cleansed the large gash across the blonde's back to a satisfactory level, he reached into his small bag of medical supplies and pulled out some bandages. He was quick to start wrapping them around the man's body, not wanting any more blood to drip down and perhaps stain the bedsheets; they would already have to pay for the towels, and their funds were running low.

With the alcohol no longer rubbing against his flesh, Laxus allowed himself to relax a little. He moved his arms so that Freed could tightly wrap his wound – which hurt, but not nearly as much as the rag had – and closed his eyes.

The memory of how he and Freed had gotten into such a state was slightly hazy as he had gotten hit in the head a few times, but he could remember that it had happened early in the morning. He and Freed had been forced to camp out for the night in a forest, as they hadn't arrived in the town when planned. A storm had occurred, and they had both decided it would make more sense to set up camp rather than walking through torrential rain with only the dimmed stars to light their way.

As they slept, a group of thieves had apparently stumbled upon their camp. Laxus awoke a little after Freed, and could hear the sound of multiple voices yelling. He took a few moments to appreciate what was happening, but his daze was broken when he heard swords clashing.

The moment he left the tent, sword in hand, he saw that a fight had broken out.

* * *

_"The fuck is happening?"_

_At Laxus' words, Freed turned to look at him. The traveller was holding his sword, parrying it with another. Six men surrounded him, all with brandished weapons and patronising expressions on their faces. It didn't take long for Laxus to realise the basics of the situation; the men were enemies that they had to fight._

_The blonde quickly tightened his grip on his sword as he saw many of the group look towards him. It seemed that the leader was fighting with Freed, perhaps he thought Freed was alone and could be made quick work of, and he nodded to one his group. The underling brandished his weapon without hesitation, and started to walk towards Laxus with a neutral expression that Laxus knew was meant to be intimating. _

_It didn't work._

_Laxus hadn't been in a sword fight – other than in training – since the one he and Freed had undergone in Magnolia. Despite not having any practical fighting, Freed's training was brutal and invaluable. The blonde knew he could overpower the smaller man, despite his half-awake state._

_The moment the thief swung his weapon towards Laxus, the blonde moved his sword to block it. His actions were fast, as were his instincts. The moment he removed any momentum from the moving weapon, Laxus changed the direction of his swing so that it clashed towards the mans legs. The steel slashed against the thick leather boots of the thief, which partially blocked the blow and offered a small amount of protection, meaning the attack wasn't a quick fix as Laxus had hoped it would be. He gritted his teeth and brought his sword back to a neutral position. _

_Again, the man swung his sword, this time hoping to hit Laxus' side. The blonde managed to block the hit again, but held the sword at an angle where he couldn't continue an assault. The thief continued to push, hoping to overpower Laxus. The blonde pushed against the weapon, but the dirt gave way under his foot and his sword left his grasp, falling out of reach._

_With his weapon no longer viable to use, Laxus remembered one piece of advice Freed had give him. Fighting couldn't be seen as an artform in situations like this, there were no rules and no finesse. For all he knew, this thief was going to kill him if he lost this fight, which Laxus needed to stop. Just because he couldn't use his sword, didn't mean the fight was over. He clenched his fists together and quickly assessed his situations, trying to figure out what best to do._

_He shunted himself forward and turned on his heel, placing himself with his back against the thief's chest. He slammed his elbow into the man's stomach, causing enough shock for him to lessen his grasp on the weapon. Laxus was quick to wrestle it out of his hand and throw it to the side._

_"The hell?" Laxus managed to hear the thief say over the sound of the heavy rain._

_Laxus moved back so that he was face to face with the thief again and ran a hand through his sodden hair to remove it from his eyes. He narrowed his gaze and saw that the thief had reached for a large knife that he had kept in belt. _

_He hadn't had time pick up his own weapon, meaning he was still unarmed. The thief was coming towards him, so he didn't have time to pick his sword up again. He would just have to fight with his fists._

_The thief lunged forward with his knife, aiming towards Laxus' stomach. The blonde managed to avoid being stabbed but felt the blade brush against his side and knew that it had cut him. Before the thief could retract his wrist, Laxus grabbed it and pulled the thief forward. He slammed his fist into the man's stomach again, noticeably winding him and giving the blonde the opportunity to pull the knife out of the thief's hand and stab it deep into a tree, out of reach._

_With a wince, Laxus glanced towards his left hand and saw that, as he had taken the dagger out of the other man's grasp, it had left a pretty nasty gash across his palm. He would deal with that later; the fight was more important._

_Now they were both unarmed, it was a fistfight. Good, Laxus had the advantage._

_He lurched forwards, fist clenched and ready to punch the man. The thief seemed a little concerned but, after intending to embed his knife into Laxus' stomach, the blonde held no sympathy for him. His fist flung forward into the man's chest without restraint, making the man stumble back and grab the part of his torso that had been hit. _

_Laxus wasn't finished. He took another step forward and delivered a powerful punch against the man's jaw. He watched as the thief's eyes fluttered closed and he slowly fell to the ground, face burying in the dirt._

_Quickly, Laxus nudged the man with his foot and flipped him over. Despite being covered in the wettened mud and a small amount of blood, the unconscious man was obviously breathing and hadn't undergone an injury too serious. In any other situation, he would make sure to restrain the man so that he couldn't suddenly wake up and cause any other issues, but there were still five men who needed to be dealt with. _

_He looked up to see that the leader of the group seemed shocked at Laxus defeating his companion, and Freed used the distraction to push him back. Laxus quickly picked up his sword and stood next to Freed, looking at the rest of the group with narrowed eyes._

_They could do this._

* * *

Laxus was brought back to the present when the gentle tugging of the bandages being applied stopped suddenly. He looked down to see that the entirety of his stomach, as well as his left pectoral, was entirely covered in the white bandages, a testament to the amount of injuries that he had received during the fight.

Checking out the bandages, he saw that Freed had done a neat, perfect job. When in Magnolia, if he had ever sustained an injury, he would have to deal with it himself. Ivan's logic was that, if he wasn't good enough in a fight to keep himself safe, then he should be the one to deal with the consequences rather than wasting someone else's time. Multiple times, an injury hadn't been treated in the correct way and he found himself wrapped in bandages that weren't tight, nor applied correctly.

"Thanks," He muttered, a little red.

He was glad of the help, of course he was. But Ivan's influence still remained in his head and on occasion came out, such as it just had. Laxus had been raised to become a man who needed no help. He was meant to handle any situation, to think with his fists and not compassion, and as someone who was flawless.

Though he knew that wasn't possible, he still felt small amounts of shame when he proved to himself that he wasn't the kind of man he had been raised as.

"You're overthinking," Freed commented as he walked to the shared bathroom and washed his hands. "There's nothing emasculating about getting help, I would have hoped you knew this by now."

"I do, I do," Laxus sighed, looking at his lap. "Just, hard to put into practice, y'know."

"I suppose so," Freed walked back into the room. "Show me your hand."

Laxus immediately looked down to his left hand, to see that the cut that he had received was still there, though it had stopped bleeding. The cut was nasty looking, not helped by both the dried blood and hardened mud that surrounded it, but it was his own fault that he hadn't been more careful when taking the knife from his opponent.

He closed his hand before Freed could see it, not wanting the other man to realise how bad it was. If he did, he would insist on treating it in the way he had with the wound's over Laxus' back. This was something he could do himself, and he wasn't going to make Freed do it for him.

"It's fine," He said passively. "You should be more worried about yourself."

"My wounds are relatively inconsequential. Certainly not as bad as yours," Freed said, glancing towards Laxus' hand.

It was obvious to both men that Freed didn't believe Laxus about the state of his hand, but the blonde wasn't going to back down on this. He had made a mistake, an easily avoidable one too, and he was going to be the one to fix it. He would have done the same with the injuries covering his torso if it had been possible.

"Even if they aren't that bad, you gotta treat em," Laxus continued, ignoring Freed's tone of mistrust. "You told me that, right?"

Freed's expression hardened a little, and Laxus knew that he hadn't left room for argument. There had been multiple times where, during their training together, a blade had been moved incorrectly and they had ended up with a wound. Freed had always been insistent that they treat them as soon as they could, and that you shouldn't treat your own wounds when there was someone there to do it for you. Laxus had taken some time, but eventually agreed to the latter part of the philosophy in most situations, and now it worked in his favour.

The blonde stood up and walked to the bathroom, taking the rag that had previously been covered in the rubbing alcohol. He rinsed it out, as well as the blood, and walked back into the main room. Freed had removed his shirt, exposing the cuts and bruises across his taut figure.

They weren't as bad Laxus' injuries, and they could probably be healed without assistance if given time, but they both knew that it would be better if they were dealt with immediately. Laxus took the bottle of rubbing alcohol and tipped it into the rag. He sat beside Freed on one of the two beds in the room, watching as Freed placed both of his hands on the bed and leant back on them for balance.

"Ready?" Laxus asked, raising the alcohol covered rag.

"Yes," Freed said, face already slightly wincing.

Laxus felt a small amount of sympathy as he brought the rag towards Freed's chest. He softly pushed it against the largest, worst gash on the other man's body, and noticed that Freed's hands clenched around the sheets at the sharp pain he felt. Laxus didn't comment on it, knowing Freed was a prideful man and wouldn't want a show of weakness to be spoken about unless needed; Laxus could identify with the other man in that way.

Over the time traveling together, Laxus had noticed that they were more similar than he would have thought. They were both prideful, strong men who took practical approaches to situation. They had a relationship built predominantly on respect, but Laxus liked to think there was a fondness between them too.

He was certainly fond of Freed. Which was an issue, in some ways.

The slight attraction he felt towards Freed – which had occurred the day they had spent in jail together and Freed had shown a more informal, devious side for the first time – wasn't all encompassing, and he was perfectly capable of being around the other man without thinking about how good looking he was. For the most part, it wasn't on his mind, but there were exceptions. As inappropriate as it was, one such exception was when he was cleaning up the wounds on the other man's chest. Because as he pressed the rag against the man's strong torso, he felt his pupils dilate a little and his face flush.

He just hoped he could blame the redness of his cheeks on the roaring fireplace crackling a few feet away.

He quickly decided that, if there ever was a time to fully pay attention to the occasional attraction to his traveling companion, this wasn't it. Instead, he forced himself to look away and picked up another rag, dumped it into a small bowl of water, and cleaned some of the blood from Freed's shoulder. He needed to distract himself, quickly.

"You gonna tell me how you did it?" He asked, voice a little quieter.

"How I did what?"

"Beat up the four that I left," Laxus muttered, voice a little harsher than needed.

It was guilt that caused the tone of voice. After Laxus had managed to defeat the first of the thieves, they had decided that Freed and Laxus were a credible threat and, instead of some of them hanging back, they all had pounced on them at once. Three of them, including the leader, decided that they would gang up on Laxus; either because his stature made him seem the more threatening, or out of vengeance for the unconscious man.

It had started off okay, with him managing to get rid of the first one by chance. Laxus managed to hold his weapon against the man's neck, and that was enough to get him running away the first chance he could. That was, for Laxus, the turning point in the fight.

* * *

_"Get back here, traitorous bastard!"_

_Laxus couldn't help but grin as he heard the leader of the group yell towards his fleeing companion; the expression born from both intimidating a thief to the point of abandoning his group, as well as being responsible for annoying the leader to that degree. Throughout their training, Laxus had never been sure if he would be good in a real fight, having his doubts slashed was quite gratifying._

_The leader of the group turned back to Laxus, and his expression was enraged. He launched forward, holding his knife in his hand and going towards Laxus' chest. The blonde managed to move out of its path for the most part, but felt it slice against his back._

_He staggered back a little, shocked at the cut that was obviously parting his skin. He gritted his teeth as glared at the leader, deciding he would have to deal with that cut after the fight ended as well. Trying to ignore the pain he felt and the droplets of blood sliding down the curve of his back, he focused on the leader as he went back for another attack._

_Laxus' instincts were forced into overdrive. The leader leant back before immediately pushing forward again, trying to catch Laxus off guard. He managed to avoid the outstretched dagger multiple times but couldn't manage a counter attack during the onslaught._

_Quickly, he realised that he had taken a step back every time he avoided the dagger aimed towards him. He was soon pushed against a large tree and could see the leader of the group grinning. Laxus' jaw clenched as the man approached again._

_"Shit," He muttered trying to come up with a plan._

_He dropped his sword quickly, there wasn't enough space to swing it. Again, the leader of the group swiped his knife forward, this time aiming for Laxus' head. The blonde was forced to duck out of the way, and he saw that his assailant's hand stop suddenly. He looked up and saw that the knife had been caught in the trunk of the large tree, and the leader of the group was struggling to pull it out to continue his attack._

_Seeing his chance, Laxus quickly slammed his fist into the man's jaw in a vicious punch. The leader staggered back a little but took the punch better than his unconscious companion. He glared towards Laxus, rolled up his sleeves and lurched forward again._

_Another fist fight. Good; Laxus had proven powerful like this._

_Seeing the leader go to return a punch aimed towards Laxus' face, the blonde ducked down and charged his shoulder into the man's gut. He pushed the man back into a thin tree, though his grip buckled a little when the leader's knee slammed into his own stomach. His footing slipped a little and he was forced to get his balance instead of falling into the dirt._

_The leader took the moment of distraction to his advantage. He brought his knee into Laxus' already winded stomach again and pushed him back. Laxus staggered a few feet, hand on his stomach as he tried to catch his breath._

_After a few short seconds of respite, Laxus stepped forward again and went to give the man another punch, aiming for the face again. The fight was going on too long, and the longer it happened the more chance of him messing up, so he wanted to end it as soon as he could. The leader of the group might be stronger than his henchmen, but that didn't mean he was completely immune to the effects of a strong punch. _

_Just as he went to outstretch his arm, he felt something cold against his neck. A sword. His own damn sword._

_Carefully glancing to the side, he could see the other man who he had forgotten. While Laxus had been fighting the leader, the other man must have picked up Laxus' sword and had been waiting for the right moment to use it. _

_Laxus was tense, and glared towards the leader of the group. Despite a small amount of blood dripping down his face, the leader of the group had an expression of arrogance presented. The urge to punch the man into unconsciousness grew dramatically, but the blade pressed against the lump in Laxus' throat made him stay in place._

_From where he stood, Laxus could see that Freed was still fighting against the two men who had put him as their focus. Thankfully, he was doing better than Laxus was._

_"Make him kneel," The words of the leader made Laxus' eyes flitter forward._

_Immediately, Laxus felt a foot slam against the back of his knee, and his legs gave way under his weight. As instructed, he was moved into a kneeling position, with his sword still resting against his throat. He made sure to look directly into the leader's eyes; he would at least attempt to maintain a little dignity._

_The leader slowly, arrogantly walked towards the tree where his knife rested. He pulled it out, looking directly at Laxus as he did so. He continued to walk, this time so that he was out of Laxus' sight. The blonde tried to follow him, but a slight increase of pressure against his neck made him reconsider. He looked straight ahead, unblinking as he tried to guess what was happening behind him. _

_A slicing against his back told him the answer._

_It happened again and again. The cuts were deeper than before, and Laxus could feel small droplets of blood flowing down him. He cried out a little after each one, the pain of the knife cutting apart his skin excruciating._

_"Like that, blondie?" The leader taunted, walking back into Laxus' gaze. The blonde could see the man's dagger was slightly blood stained. _

_"Fuck yourself," Laxus muttered._

_With a clenched jaw and stern expression, the leader walked forward again. He spun the dagger around in his hand, grabbing Laxus' chin with his free hand and looking down at him directly. Laxus tried not to look worried about what was going to happen._

_Without warning, the leader slammed the hilt of the dagger against his skull. The blonde felt pain rush through him, followed by a quick sense of dizziness. The pain was dull, and quickly sent his gaze blurred and shaky. He tried to keep his eyes open, not wanting to show that the attack had any effect on him in the hoped that it would help him somehow._

_It didn't._

_Again and again, the blunt handle of the dagger slammed against his head. The pain doubled each time, as did the period of dizziness that followed it. His gaze started to drop and he felt his consciousness slip away._

_As his eyes fluttered shut, the last thing he saw was Freed rushing towards him._

* * *

"Don't concern yourself about it."

Laxus wasn't convinced by Freed's words. He knew that the man was strong and a good fighter – he wouldn't train with him otherwise – but fighting four against one couldn't be easy. And yet, he had managed to do so as well as getting Laxus out of the forest and into the town single handily.

The blonde had drifted in and out of consciousness a few times when Freed was taking him to the town. Freed was carrying him on his back, and Laxus vaguely remembered how he was resting his head on the other man's shoulders as he run at a pretty fast speed. He had a hazy memory of seeing a look of worry on Freed's face; at the time, he hadn't registered the fact it was the first time he had actually seen his traveling companion worried.

He faded away for a little while, but vaguely remembered Freed yelling at someone, who claimed the town's doctor was unavailable and wouldn't see anyone until the morning. Then the darkness overtook him, and he woke up in the morning on an uncomfortable bed, a blood covered towel below him and Freed sitting on a bed, looking at him with the same expression of concern.

"You can't have gotten out of that without a couple more injuries," Laxus pushed a little.

"I'm fine," Freed assured him, raising his right arm so that Laxus could have better access to a cut on his side. Laxus wanted to argue the point, but the wounds that covered his body weren't as bad as Laxus', so he decided to let the argument die.

He bandaged up his companion in silence, trying to do as good a job possible and make them as neat as the ones covering his own stomach. Freed needed less attention than him, and the bandages mainly covered his chest and left shoulder, as well as a particularly nasty cut on his lower right arm; he probably wouldn't be able to use his sword comfortably for a few days.

Again, he found himself asking how Freed managed to win the fight but didn't say anything.

Without thinking, he reached for the discarded rubbing alcohol rag to clean up the final wound that he had yet to treat but reached for it with his left hand. The alcohol pushed against his unexpectant open wound and he hissed and let out a single cuss.

Freed quickly grabbed his wrist before Laxus could stop him and looked down at the blonde's palm. His eyes widened a little as he looked at the gash that Laxus had described as 'fine' and Laxus knew that there was no fighting the man now. His hands were blooded and dry and now, because of the alcohol's effect, reddened with pain.

"You consider this to be fine?"

"Compared to what you had to deal with, yeah," Laxus muttered. "One cut against a whole body of 'em, you were a priority."

"Well, with that logic, now you're the priority again."

Laxus sighed a little and allowed Freed to clean his injury, taking out the spool of bandaged and carefully wrapping them around his hand in a way that didn't restrict his fingers. The careful, gentle way he handled his hand – as he had handled the rest of Laxus' wounds – sent a small shiver down the blonde's spine. An undeniable chill that he hoped wasn't obvious to the man who had caused it.

As Freed finished wrapping the bandage, Laxus couldn't help but notice how close they were. Sitting side by side, Laxus' hand hovering inches away from Freed's lap, they were practically resting against each other.

Freed looked towards Laxus as Laxus looked towards Freed. Now their faces were inches away form one another, eye contact direct and intense. Heat flushed into Laxus' cheeks again, and the blonde hoped he wasn't imagining it when he saw the same happen to Freed. His eyes scanned over the mans face, taking in every feature that could only be described as handsome. High cheekbones, pale skin, devilishly taunting lips.

He was soon acting on instinct.

Leaning forward a little bit and tilting his head to the side slightly, he hesitated. Before he could pull back, he saw that Freed had done the same. He pushed forward a little and Freed did the same, their lips connecting softly and tentatively in a chaste kiss. After the initial touch, they both pushed a little further in to deepen the kiss.

Laxus was careful to place his hands in Freed's hair, pushing him a little further into the kiss as the damp hair wrapped around his fingers. Freed's lips were cold, demanding and perfect; and Laxus found himself melting into the sensation of the kiss.

He felt a hand push against his chest, between two cuts as not to aggravate them. He wasn't being pushed away, and he could only assume that Freed had placed his hand there for the same reason Laxus had intertwined his own hands with Freed's hair; to make the kiss more intimate and deeper. The blonde found himself smiling a little at the idea.

After a few moments, they pulled away. They were both blushing, looking directly at each other as the reality of what had just happened. It took a few moments for either to speak.

"So," Freed whispered.

"Yeah," Laxus chuckled again. "Sorry, I don't think-"

Hands were pulling his head forward again, and they were kissing a moment later. It was perfect, as was Freed.


	5. Chapter 5 - Favours Returned

**Chapter Five – Favours Returned**

_**Year: 1540x. Luna-cycle: 8. Day: 11. **_

"How are you feeling?"

It was a loaded question. Laxus felt a lot of things as he and Freed walked through the forest side by side, many of those feelings being contradictory. Nervousness and determination. Worry and excitement. Dread and anticipation. But, above all these clashing feelings, one emotion was driving Laxus forward above all else. Anger.

He and Freed were in the forests near Magnolia, getting closer and closer to Laxus' old home with each step. It had been a year since Laxus had left his home after exile, a year to the day. Them being there wasn't coincidental, nor was the timing. Over the year spent with Freed, Laxus had learned a lot about the real world, and about himself, and now he was going to put that to good use. He was going to do something he should have done before, something he now felt was his duty to do for those who cared for him.

Standing up to Ivan. Usurping him from his power and brining Magnolia back to what it once was.

"Little nervous," Laxus' words were an understatement. But he wasn't going to let his nerves stop him, this was too important. "I'll be fine, though."

"If you're sure."

Laxus was thankful that Freed wasn't pushing the matter, nor was he forcing the conversation. He had been inside his own head for the past few days, thinking through all that could happen when he came face to face with his father again, as well as the people who he had been forced to leave. There was a lot to think through, and Laxus wanted to sort his thoughts entirely before it begun.

He expected a mixed reception. Some people would be outraged – Ivan had dedicated followers, and he would be breaking exile by returning – but he also hoped some people would be glad to see him. Ivan wouldn't be one of them, of course, and Laxus couldn't begin to imagine how he would react. But that idea didn't scare Laxus, not anymore. The blonde knew what his father was now; a petulant little man who liked to lord his power and status over those he considered below him. Laxus was the better man, there was no doubt in his mind about that, and by the time the sun had set, that would be proven.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Laxus nodded a little, pushing his was through some shrubbery. "Need to do it. Gramps'd be pissed if he found out what'd happened."

"Was it that different when he was in charge?" Freed asked, looking up to Laxus with soft eyes.

Throughout their time together, Laxus had become less restrained about explaining how he felt. After their kiss, they had talked for some time and chose to pursue a romance between one another, and the blonde had found himself confiding in Freed more than he had anyone else.

Their relationship worked better than one might expect. They still had the same kind of friendship that had been forged before the kiss – they still had their strengths and weaknesses that compensated each other, and they still had their duties while traveling – but the romance had added a new layer of intimacy between them. They often seemed to act as one, there was more trust and joy shared between them, and although he wouldn't readily admit it, Laxus found himself smiling a hell of a lot more with Freed than he had years prior.

It was good. Great, even. And Laxus was glad that it had happened.

"Like another place entirely," Laxus said, thinking back to his early childhood. "Lot more communal, and friendly. The crappy walls were only there to keep animals and shit out, and the gates were never closed. We traded a lot as well, instead of being 'self-sufficient' or whatever he calls it."

"Is that what you'll make it again?" Freed asked, walking beside Laxus and ducking under a branch.

"Definitely wanna try," Laxus said, voice resolute. "Bastard's been pissing on Gramps' honour for years, wanna change it."

Laxus was determined to get the town back in to good hands. It wasn't an unfeasible goal; Ivan's pride would be dented enough just by seeing Laxus return despite his orders, and getting him into a fight could be achieved simply by calling out his cowardice and insulting him until he fell for the manipulation. Then, if all went as planned, Laxus would win the fight and Ivan's pride would be destroyed, meaning he would either flee the town himself or Laxus would be able to demand he leave.

It was a good plan. Laxus just hoped it would work.

"I'm sure you'll make a wonderful leader," Freed said, apparently having sensed a small amount of doubt seeping into the blonde's thoughts. "You'll be fine, Laxus. I'm sure of it."

"I know. I know it'll be fine," His tone didn't match what he said. "It's just that there's a lot of things that could go wrong and-"

"They won't," Freed said, his voice carrying authority. "I've been in your father's presence for less than a day, and even I know that he'll be easily manipulated into a fight and that, once he loses to the man he berated for being weak, he won't be able to show his face. And if you're worried about losing the fight, then you needn't be. I suspect you were stronger than him then, and I know you're stronger than he is now."

Freed's words comforted him. He was right. Ivan was a weak, overly proud coward who Laxus could defeat in his sleep. He could have done it then and, now with Freed's training and the occasional practical experience he had gained when traveling, he could defiantly do it now.

"Mind you," Freed continued, voice serious. "It might be a little awkward if we can't get through the gates."

Laxus paused for a moment, before snorting. He glanced down to see Freed was smirking, so it was obvious he was joking, and the blonde was thankful for it; he certainly had lightened his mood a little. The image of him and Freed awkward standing around the large metal gates, waiting for someone to open them so they could get in was amusing. Laxus found his lips tugging upwards a little as they walked.

"If there a secret knock or something you might remember?" Freed continued, and Laxus chuckled. "Maybe a back entrance with a rusty hinge?"

"Piss off," Laxus chuckled, wrapping his arm around Freed's shoulders. He pressed his lips against the man's head before whispering. "Thanks."

Freed didn't reply, but pushed into Laxus a little to show he had heard. Laxus decided not to remove his arm from around Freed's shoulders until needed, enjoying the proximity he had to his partner as they walked. He could feel the strength in the man who had gotten him here, could smell the light dusting of cologne that was slightly overpowered by the smells of the forest, and could hear the soft breathing coming from his lover as they made their was through the undergrowth. It all worked to calm Laxus down as he walked.

The closer he got towards Ivan's territory, the more he felt the need to latch onto Freed. The reality of what they were doing became more apparent, and the silent support he was getting from his partner was helping him rationalise the situation.

Despite having his nervousness quelled somewhat by Freed, something made him pause as they walked. It was a small flowing stream, parting two sides of the forest and rushing across a small stone path. It seemed inconsequential, and Laxus could see that Freed had a small amount of confusion written across his features as he looked towards Laxus. The blonde stared at the water for a few moments, eyes a little wide.

"Laxus," Freed eventually spoke up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," Laxus said, voice a little distant. "Sorry, it's just, Ivan always said the stream was the border of his land. So, when we go over it, kinda like we ain't going back."

"We don't have to do this now, if you don't want to," Freed said, voice more comforting than it was stern. "We can spent a little time getting ready, or camp out for the night, if you think it'll help you or make this easier on you."

"No, I need to do this," Laxus tried to convince himself of his words. "If I don't do it now, I'll keep putting it off."

"Okay," Freed said, placing a hand on Laxus' cheek.

Laxus allowed his face to be turned slightly, taking his gaze away from the stream and instead directing it into Freed's eyes. They were the same shade of fresh water, and just as calming as the pool that formed at the end of the stream. Laxus found himself relaxed by the soft gaze he received, an expression that he expected Freed only gifted him. The man was the personification of calm and collected, and Laxus knew that it was rubbing off on him, and felt his pulse even out and his anxiety lessen slightly.

He wasn't doing this alone. This wasn't him fighting against his father. It was him and Freed, reclaiming what was owed and making Magnolia what it once was. Something fuelled by passion and romance. Freed and him were one, now, and that gave him a hell of a lot of comfort.

"You can do this," Freed whispered gently. "You are stronger than he is. You are better than he is. And this town will one day be as great as you are."

That was right. He was his father's superior, he always had been and now Freed had allowed him to flourish and realise it. All the traveling, every decision he had made after his exile had lead him to this situation, and now he needed to make good on his promise. Knowing Freed shared the same confidence in him that he shared in Freed, Laxus found his anxiety flowing away just as the water flowed down the stream.

He could do this.

Leaning down a little, he brought his lips against Freed's. They shared a slow, loving kiss with one another that meant so much to Laxus. It was a testament to how much he had changed, a perfect personification of how he was now. A changed man, a more open man, a better man than Ivan could have possibly made him.

"Ready?" Laxus whispered after they pulled apart, lips resting against each other.

"Yes," Freed whispered back, giving a final chaste kiss before pulling apart.

Laxus took a final breath to gather his nerves. He looked back to the stream, now feeling a renewed sense of purpose and confidence in what he was going to do. He walked to stream, closed his eyes, and took the step across the water.

"Stay here," The guard all but spat as he spoke. "I'll get the chief. If you move, you're dead."

Laxus didn't pay attention to the man who addressed him, nor did he pay attention to the other man who had a sword aimed towards him. He was in a daze, looking around Magnolia's town square after a year of absence was almost nauseating. It felt both familiar and completely foreign, and Laxus couldn't collect his thoughts on the matter.

After entering Ivan's territory, he and Freed had begun to walk towards the town with the intent of entering on their own terms. It had taken a few minutes for a pair of guards – some of Ivan's more devout followers, as well – to find them and recognise Laxus. Neither Freed nor Laxus cared about being captured, it simply meant that the rest of the walk towards Magnolia was to be done at the end of a sword rather than how it had been before. At least they could be certain they would get there as soon as possible, rather than having to work only with Laxus' memory of the place which was vague at best.

The short walk had been a little awkward to say the least. A few vague threats had been made, as some jokes about how Ivan would react and what he would do when he saw Laxus, but nothing other than that had happened. Still, Laxus and Freed had been prepared if needed.

"You, keep 'em here," The guard continued, looking towards a pair of guards who had just turned a corner. "Quickly."

The guard who was apparently the leader quickly started to walk away and towards Laxus' old home, being replaced with the two guards who he had summoned. Laxus looked at the two men with slightly wide eyes, recognising them both as they got closer. Bickslow and Gajeel, although they looked a little different than when he was here last. More haggard, tired and regimental than they had been before.

Laxus hoped that Ivan hadn't broken their spirits. But, as Bickslow flashed him a split-second grin that looked practically gleeful, Laxus realised that couldn't happen. Bickslow had an ocean's worth of spirit, a year wasn't nearly long enough to break that.

Waiting for Ivan to appear took a few minutes, and nobody talked as they waited. Laxus accredited the silence to the lingering presence of one of Ivan's henchmen; he hoped that Bickslow and Ever perhaps Gajeel, who he had been amicable with when living in Magnolia, would try to strike up a conversation with him. But instead, there was just silence and the growing worry that the situation might not end up as Laxus had hoped.

Freed must have noticed this and brushed his hand against Laxus' for a moment. It calmed him.

As time elapsed, it was obvious that the guard hadn't just informed Ivan of Laxus' presence. A small crowd of people formed – as they had done with Freed, a year prior – to see if Laxus truly had returned. For the most part Laxus tried to ignore them, as they were made up of a mixture of Laxus' friends and Ivan's followers. He did give small nods to Evergreen and Mirajane, upon seeing them.

"Oh dear god," A raspy, gravely voice brought Laxus' gaze upwards. Ivan. "You do understand what exile means, don't you? That thick little skull hasn't let it leak out."

Hearing Ivan's voice again after a year produced exactly the reaction that Laxus had hoped for. A mixture of anger at how the man had treated him throughout his childhood years, anticipation to wipe away that smug fucking expression in a long overdue fight with the bastard, and disgust at the idea that he tried to warm Laxus into another version of himself. Any doubts about what he was doing melted away; everything he planned to do to the smug bastard was completely deserved, and he was not going to get any sympathy.

The grip that Laxus had on his sword tightened a little. Perhaps it was sadistic to think, but the idea of holding the sword against Ivan's body and making him concede defeat was incredibly satisfying. Hopefully the reality would be just as good.

"And, if my memory serves me well, your little friend is the mongrel who got you exiled in the first place," Ivan continued, laughing as he approached them. "You made friends. How cute."

Ivan's cocky attitude was evident in his very being. The way in which he walked, how openly his expressions conveyed his supposed superiority, and even his clothes were gaudy enough to suggest he thought he was above any form of judgment. Laxus found his grip on the sword loosening slightly; punching the old man and brining him into unconsciousness seemed as though it would be just as satisfying.

"I expect you're here to grovel," Ivan laughed again, now only a few feet away from Laxus. "Your little stint outside left a bad taste-" 

"Oh fuck off," Laxus growled.

"The hell did you just say to me?" Ivan demanded.

His face turned dark, and he took a step towards Laxus with clear anger in his eyes. Although the small crowd seemed shocked and nervous, Laxus stood his ground. The guards who had surrounded him parted so that Ivan could get through. The blonde didn't mind, as long as he wasn't restrained then he could look after himself.

"I told you to fuck off, Ivan," Laxus spat, stepping forward with a glare. "But what I should have said was you should stick that blunt toothpick of a sword down your fucking throat, and don't remove it until you've skewered yourself. Finally give it some fucking use."

"I don't know what happened to you after getting kicked out, brat, or why the hell you're talking to me like-"

"I'm talking to you like this because I ain't your fucking lapdog anymore," Laxus growled. "I'm a better man than you, and I'm gonna prove it."

"Oh are you now," Ivan chuckled, though Laxus could see a slight expression of concern flicker across his face. "Well, if you're so certain that you have become a man better than me, which is unlikely, then you can prove it in a fight. Acnologia."

Laxus followed Ivan's gaze towards one of the guards, and although Laxus didn't recognise the man it was obvious that he was high ranking given his uniform and the fact that he had been called upon. He was tall, muscular looking and had long blue hair with an expression of hated painted upon him, so he was obviously one of Ivan's more devoted followers. Previously, Laxus would have been called upon to fight for his father's honour, so it appeared this man was his replacement as Ivan's inferior.

It would be satisfying to beat him in a fight, as it was clear he was just as intolerable and as his father, but Ivan would simply punish him and maintain his claim over Magnolia. Laxus needed to fight the leader himself, so gave a short nod towards Freed.

With an audible swing, Freed managed to unsheathe his sword from its scabbard, swing it directly towards the advancing guard and stop it so it's end was placed exactly against the man's throat, pushing forward just enough to make its presence known. Freed looked directly into Acnologia's eyes, which had dilated a little at the sudden blade being pressed into his neck. He stopped in his place, but Freed kept his sword in place.

"I believe the gentleman claimed he was a better man that you," Freed said calmly, moving his gaze to meet Ivan's. "He should fight you, if you wish to dispute this."

"Unless you ain't got the guts," Laxus continued, also looking towards his father.

Ivan's face flickered from annoyance, to hatred, and then to anger. Laxus knew that nobody had challenged his father directly before – the closest thing to this had been Freed – and the fact that it was coming from his own son meant his reputation would be destroyed if he backed down. It was something that both Freed and Laxus had been relying on in their plan and, although Ivan knew he was being manipulated, his pride wouldn't allow him to back down. Laxus found himself smirking as he saw his father fall for the trap.

Without warning, Ivan removed his sword from its scabbard and advanced on Laxus. His movements were slightly rigid and untrained, nothing compared to the fluid and fast paced fighting style that he had grown used to with Freed.

Laxus quickly brought his own sword out and blocked the oncoming blow in the same movement. He was stronger than his father, so could easily push his blade back and make Ivan lose footing. He saw his farther grimace and allowed a grin to paint itself on his face, after only a single blow he already had his father rattled.

Continuing his movements, Laxus shifted his stance and brought his sword to Ivan's leg and slashed it just above his ankle, ripping open his clothes and leaving a small amount of blood dripping form the wound. It was more satisfying than Laxus cared to admit.

"Bastard," Ivan growled, looking to his injury.

The older man charged forward again, raising his sword and slamming it down towards Laxus' shoulder. The blonde didn't have time to bring his weapon up to parry the blow, so could do nothing as a large gash cut apart his shirt and his skin. He grunted at the pain, though had been through more and knew it was easily overcome. With gritted teeth, he looked towards the slightly gloating expression of his father and tensed his body.

He charged back towards his father, swinging his sword with speed and ferocity. Ivan managed to block the onslaught, though his movements were just slow and his swordsmanship sloppy. He only just managed to stop Laxus' sword form breaking the skin, and the blonde knew he could keep it up for so long.

Clashes filled the air as the two sharpened weapons slammed against each other. With each swing of his sword, Laxus took a step forward and Ivan took a step back. Ivan's façade begun to slip as his grip grew looser and reactions slower.

Laxus knew this was the turning point. This was the moment he would regain his life.

Freed's training focused on practicality, and resilience was a large part of that. Although his muscles ached and his hands all but blistered with the grip on his sword, he knew that he could keep going and work through the exhaustion that was setting in. Ivan, on the other hand, had the swordsmanship of an egotist and could only last long enough to put on a show, meaning he was getting closer and closer to his limit. He would rather dominate the man but winning was more important.

With an expression of determination, Laxus swung his sword with as much force as he could. Ivan's grip was weak enough for the blow to send the weapon flying, making a few people move to avoid getting hit. Ivan followed the path of his weapon, eyes widening as he saw his defence fly away. The look on his face had the blonde grinning.

"Scared?" Laxus taunted.

He slammed his sword into the dirt, rolling up his sleeves as he advanced upon his father. The crowd had created a circle around the two men, meaning if Ivan wanted to escape then he would have to push through them; he and Laxus knew his pride couldn't handle that.

Ivan glanced around, looking for some kind of help. His sword had been enveloped by the crowed and Laxus stood in front of his own abandoned weapon; his guard was still being held at the tip of a blade by the mongrel, who was also glaring at the rest of the guards as if daring them to intervene; and the majority of the townspeople he had alienated through his intimidation, so they were enjoying his public humiliation and were not intending to help him.

Laxus smirked as his father looked from side to side, hoping for a saviour that wouldn't come. It was gratifying to see his façade drop in place of the squirming, weak man that Laxus had always known he was.

What was more gratifying, though, was the feeling of the man's jaw after he slammed his fist into it.

The punch to the face was quickly followed by another, the latter delivered to his stomach. Ivan doubled over where he stood, clutching his bruising torso and trying to keep it from further harm. Laxus stormed forward and grabbed the man by his collar, pulling him up and slightly off the ground so that he was forced into eye contact. He went to deliver another punch, one intended to knock the guy out, but stopped himself.

He couldn't go overboard. As cathartic as it would be to beat the ever-living shit out of the man who had fucked over his life, he couldn't. He was going to make Magnolia a new town, he couldn't start that with more violence than what was needed.

"You're pathetic," Laxus hissed, eyes hardened. "A waste of a life."

Before Ivan could speak, Laxus reached for his belt and pulled out a small dagger. He quickly brought it up and placed the tip against the underside of Ivan's chin, forcing him to look up and strain his neck slightly. Ivan wouldn't dare move, unsure of whether Laxus would actually use it against him or not.

"You're gonna leave," Laxus demanded, voice leaving no room for arguing. "You and anyone who thinks what you do here is right, you're all gone."

"This town is mine," Ivan tried to retaliate. "It is owed to-"

"It ain't owed to anyone. Definitely not some bastard like you," Laxus growled, pushing the dagger up slighting in a similar way that Freed had done in the past. "It deserved someone better than your stupid ass." 

"And that's you," Ivan laughed despite the position he was in.

"Damn right it is," The blonde spat.

He moved quickly, positioning himself behind Ivan and grabbing his wrist in a tight grasp, the dagger still pushing against his chin. Laxus slowly began to walk him towards the still opened gates of the town, the crowd parting for them and watching them as their leader was marched through the buildings and towards the walls.

Under the arch of the portcullis, Laxus removed the knife from Ivan's chin. He pushed him forward, making him stumble slightly. The older man turned back, his expression a mix of anger and disgust at his son. Laxus still held no sympathy for him.

"Get out of my property," Laxus demanded, voice stern. "And let me make something clear, if I ever see you in my fucking town again, I will make your life hell. Just like you did to me."

The blonde turned, turning towards the crowd that seemed to have grown since he last paid attention to them. Many of them seemed to be in shock, a few of them seemed to be angry at Laxus' behaviour, and he could see a few of them seemingly happy with the situation. Most of them were unsure of what was happening though, and Laxus couldn't blame them. But he was their new leader, and it was his responsibility to assure his townspeople that they were going to be safe, happy and enter a new age.

He took a step forward and felt all eyes on him. Glancing towards Freed, he saw his lover smile at him for a split second before retuning to his usual stoic expression. The small, wordless confidence his partner could give him gave Laxus all the confidence that he needed, and he stood proud as he addressed the crowd.

"There's going to be some changes here," He begun, voice proud. "I'm gonna take this place back to what it used to be. Make it something my grandfather could be proud of. If you've got problems with that, if your loyalties will never be with me, or if you have sympathy for him, you are to drop your possessions and leave."

There was silence for a moment. Laxus stared down the people who he knew were loyal to Ivan, and eventually heard the clattering of a sword being dropped. He looked towards the source of the sound to see a young guard walking towards the gate. He pushed past Laxus as he left.

It started a small chain. Everyone who left was a guard, young enough so that they could hardly remember a life before Ivan. They had probably been manipulated by the man since their birth and could easily harbour the same aggression and sadism that he had. They could perhaps one day be welcomed back, but the fact they were willing to follow Ivan out of their own lives showed the toxic influence he had over them. For now, Laxus couldn't allow them anywhere near Magnolia, not when he was doing his best to heal it.

Acnologia was the last to leave, sending a poisonous expression towards Laxus as he passed him. Laxus turned to see the men walking away, before looking towards a small group of the guards who had stayed by his side. Bickslow, Gajeel, Elfman and Natsu; Laxus had been fond of them all when he lived there, even if he hadn't admitted it.

"Make sure they leave the territory, please," He asked them.

After saluting to him – something that would have to stop, he wanted all comparisons of him and Ivan to be disproven – the small group of men started to walk out. As Bickslow passed him, he clasped him on the shoulder and whispered 'Nice to have you back, man.' Laxus could only smile.

"Titania," He spoke to the crowd again, and a redheaded woman stepped forward. "Always thought you would be a damn good guard. Take that," He nodded to his sword. "And keep the boys in check."

The woman nodded, picked up the sword and started to walk towards the gates as well. As she passed Laxus, she thanked him, and Laxus found himself smiling a little wider. Erza Titania had been destined to be great with a sword and, during her childhood, had been one of the most promising guards-to-be. After Ivan took over, women had been banned from any form of combat. The gesture of putting Erza in charge was not only to distance Laxus' approach to running the town from Ivan's, but also to act as a promise to her that she was allowed to live up to her potential.

"I understand that some of you might be overwhelmed, or even scared," Laxus said to the crowd. "But let me assure you of this. I will keep you all safe. I will keep you all healthy. I will keep you all happy. I apologise for making you watch what happened, but please return to whatever you were doing before."

It took a few minutes, but the crowd dispersed and started to go about what they were doing. Laxus knew they weren't entirely sure of what to do, but had expected that. He would gain their trust given time, he was sure of that.

He looked through the gates, still able to see the group of his own guards as they escorted them out of his land. As he watched, he felt Freed walk beside him and stand next to him. He glanced down to his partner with a soft smile on his face, shoulders untensing for perhaps the first time since they had crossed the little stream in the forest.

"Congratulations," Freed said, voice soft. "You must be happy."

"I am," Laxus nodded. "Finally get to take this place back to what it used to be. Make my gramps proud." There was a silent moment between the two men. Laxus broke it a few seconds later. "I get you ain't the kind of guy to stick around, and that we only met like a year ago and that ain't a long time but… I'm gonna need help. You're a damn capable guy, smart, strong and knows how the world actually works. And…"

"And?" Freed asked, smiling a little.

"You really gonna make me say it?" Laxus chuckled a little, cheeks reddening.

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Freed teased.

"Asshole," Laxus grinned despite his words. "I don't wanna leave ya yet. I think we can do more, and I don't want it to end yet. _Us_ to end yet, whatever we are. And I get that you're a traveller and you ain't settled down since you left-"

"I haven't settled anywhere because I haven't had a reason to," Freed said, looking towards the forest. "You've given me a reason, I think. And quite a nice place to settle in, too."

"So?"

"So I'll stay, Laxus," Freed promised. "For as long as you'll have me."

Laxus didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed Freed's waist and pulled him into a strong kiss, illuminated by the setting sun and bordered by the large open gates. It was a perfect encapsulation to what Magnolia was going to be; the sun was setting on Ivan's influence and in its place was something better. Somewhere that allowed you to be who you were, somewhere emotions were flaunted and encouraged, and somewhere Makarov would be proud of.

They pulled apart after a few moments, lips resting against each other and both wearing a small smile as they took in each other. Laxus was finally home, he finally was doing what he needed to do, and he finally had someone to love and cherish.

"Besides, I can't imagine you running a town without help," Freed chuckled. "How would you deal with any negotiations? You'd somehow manage to trade the value of the land for a single grape."

A man to love and cherish, even if he was an asshole.

"Shut the fuck up," Laxus laughed, bringing him into another kiss as the sun set below them.


End file.
